Attorney general warns of fake IRS calls in 417 area

(From Attorney General Chris Koster)

Attorney General Chris Koster today warned Missouri consumers of a possible telephone scam in which the caller pretends to be from the Internal Revenue Service and requests immediate payment. The Attorney General’s Office has received approximately 200 telephone calls today from consumers in the 417 area code in and around Springfield, Missouri, regarding these fake calls. 

Consumers indicated they either received a live caller or a message indicating the caller is from the IRS, there is a pending lawsuit against the consumer for back taxes, and the consumer will be arrested or face further legal action if he or she does not pay immediately. Alternatively, some consumers reported receiving calls promising them a tax refund that could be paid only after giving the caller the consumer’s banking or other financial information. The threat of legal action or arrest and the refund promise are both fake, designed to extract the consumer’s private information to be exploited by the caller. 

Koster warns consumers that the IRS does not: 

• Call taxpayers to demand immediate payment.Nor will the IRS call about taxes owed without first mailing the taxpayer a bill.
• Demand payment of taxes without giving the taxpayer an opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed.
• Threaten to have local police or other law enforcement arrest individuals for non-payment of taxes.

If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, the Attorney General’s Office recommends: 

• If you know you do not owe federal taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, or TIGTA, at 800-366-4484 or at www.tigta.gov.
• If you know you owe federal taxes or think you might owe them, call the IRS at 800-829-1040 to talk about payment options.
• If you believe you have been the target or victim of a phone scam, contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-392-8222 or file a complaint online.