Tax Season Scheme: Beware Of Scammers Impersonating IRS, Police Warn

With tax season heating up, area residents are being warned to be cautious of opportunistic fraudsters looking to take advantage of the community’s most vulnerable parties.

How to spot scammers who pretend to be IRS officials to get you to send them money.
Photo Credit: *FTCvideos*

Zak Failla

02/17/2019 2:30 p.m.

Area police departments warn that each year, they receive several reports from the community involving tax scams.

“Our elderly community members are typically the most vulnerable to these types of scams," one department, Norwalk in Fairfield County, noted. “Please take the time to warn your older family members, neighbors, and friends.”

In response, the department released an FTC video online and offered a series of tips to avoid becoming the victim of a tax scammer:

Call you to demand immediate payment. The IRS will not call you if you owe taxes without first sending you a bill in the mail;
Demand that you pay taxes and not allow you to question or appeal the amount you owe;
Require that you pay your taxes a certain way. For instance, require that you pay with a prepaid debit card;
Ask for your credit or debit card numbers over the phone;
Threaten to bring in police or other agencies to arrest you for not paying.

"(The) best advice when you or someone you know receives a suspicious call claiming to be the IRS is to hang up," police said.

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