State, federal officials warn of tax scams

Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin today joined the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in warning Massachusetts taxpayers about the rise of telephone tax scams.

“With tax filing season upon us, my office has received a number of calls from people who have been contacted by someone claiming to be from the IRS, telling them they are in tax trouble and offering help in resolving it,” Secretary Galvin said. “The object is usually a bid for personal and financial information as well as money.”

“No matter how intimidating the caller sounds, you should never give personal information, like social security numbers or bank account numbers, over the telephone to a cold caller,” Galvin said.

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen has said the IRS has seen a surge in these phone scams in recent months.

“If someone calls unexpectedly claiming to be from the IRS with aggressive threats if you don’t pay immediately, it’s a scam artist calling,” Commissioner Koskinen said. “The first IRS contact with taxpayers is usually through the mail. Taxpayers have rights and this is not ho we do business.”

Secretary Galvin said the tax scammers are using the internet as well as the telephone.

Vincent P. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, said, “The government isn’t going to call you, email you or threaten you, asking for money. We don’t operate that way.”

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has received reports of about 200,000 contacts from scammers nationally and is aware of as many as 3,000 victims who have paid out more than $14 million to them, the IRS said.

The IRS highlights five things scammers often do, but says the ITS will never:

• Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
• Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount thy say you owe.
• Require that you use a specific method of payment for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
• Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
• Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

If you have received a call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, the IRS recommends that you call 1-800-829-1040 if you owe or think you owe taxes. IRS workers can help with a payment issue.

But if you don’t owe or don’t believe you owe taxes, call the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484 or at www.tigta.gov. They also recommend contacting the federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov, using ftc complaint assistant and entering “irs telephone scam” to your comments if you’ve been the target of one of these scams.

The agency stresses that the IRS does not use email, text messages or any social media to discuss personal tax issues involving bills or refunds.