The IRS continues to warn about scammers trying to take advantage of our race to the April 15th income tax filing deadline. It’s not clear how many individuals or groups are working to take advantage during this time. But those that are out there are effective.  

More than 20,000 people say they’ve been contacted by people posing as government officials or IRS agents. Not all were victimized, but those who were lost over $1 million collectively.  Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George says, “The increasing number of people receiving these unsolicited calls from individuals who fraudulently claim to represent the IRS is alarming.  At all times, and particularly during the tax filing season, we want to make sure that innocent taxpayers are alert to this scam so they are not harmed by these criminals. “ 503 Area Code  Many calls come from the 503 area code in California. Others use “spoofing’ techniques to mask their identity and they are good at it. So the numbers that come up on caller ID are the real phone numbers of the IRS or your state’s tax department. Scammers also use fake names and IRS badge numbers, and may be able to recite the last four digits of your Social Security number. CONTINUE →    or go to Page 1 2

Listen to an IRS phone scam call here