The IRS scam, around for years, is getting more sophisticated with each passing year. As tax season looms ever closer, scammers are stepping up their game in an attempt to steal your money or personal information.
How can you tell if a call from the IRS is a scam? Learn about the signs that tell you if an IRS call is a scam. This article also provides information on how to stop IRS scams.
How Does An IRS Scam Work?
When scammers posing as IRS agents call unsuspecting victims and request payment for a tax debt that does not exist, it is an IRS scam. The scammers might also demand personal information such as Social Security Numbers, bank account numbers, or credit card information. They may even threaten the victim with a lawsuit, arrest, or deportation to steal their money.
9 Signs That a Call From IRS Is a Scam
Here are the signs that a call is an IRS scam
1. The Threat of Arrest
Scammers will use a spoofed number to make you think that the call is from IRS. The caller will then threaten to arrest you or bring law-enforcement groups if you do not pay your outstanding tax.
Fact: IRS agents will never threaten to bring in local authorities if you do not pay immediately.
2. Do Not Provide their Credentials.
IRS agents always provide credentials called "pocket commission and an HSPD-12 card." The call is a scam if the caller continues to threaten you without providing valid credentials.
3. Asking You to Take the IRS Survey
A text appearing to be from the IRS asking you to take a survey may steal your personal information. So, do not furnish your personal information if the survey asks you for it.
4. Demanding Immediate Payment
If an IRS agent demands immediate payment, the call is most likely a scam.
Fact: Legitimate IRS agents will never ask you to pay immediately over the phone.
5. Asking for Personal Information
If the caller asks for personal information, the call is likely from a scammer. Do not reveal your personal information to anyone over the phone.
Fact: IRS agents will not ask for your personal information, such as your SSN or bank account numbers, over the phone.
6. Threaten to Cancel Your Social Security Number
The call is a scam if the caller threatens to cancel your social security number. Hang up immediately.
7. Ask You to Pay Federal Student Tax
If someone asks you to pay Student Federal Tax, hang up immediately, as the caller is a scammer. There is nothing called the Federal Student Tax.
8. Asking You to Pay Via Wire Transfer
The call is a scam if the caller asks you to pay via wire transfer, gift card, or prepaid debit card.
Fact: IRS agents will not ask you to pay using a prepaid debit card or wire transfer.
9. Lawsuit Against You
If the caller says that IRS has filed a lawsuit against you, that is a scam. Disengage from the call immediately.
Fact: IRS agents will never threaten you this way, as it would be an illegal collection method.
How to Report an IRS Scam
If you have been the victim of an IRS scam, it's vital to report it as quickly as possible.
- You can report IRS scams by calling the IRS directly at 800-366-4484 or visiting the IRS website.
- You can also report IRS scams at https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml.
When reporting a scam, ensure you provide complete information about the call, including - the phone number, the caller's name, and any other details about the conversation. The IRS will investigate the incident and take action if necessary.
How to Avoid IRS Scam Calls
To avoid IRS scam calls, you can be proactive and get a spam blocker to block calls on your landline before it rings. You can download several apps to block spam calls on Android and iPhones. Read on!
The Best Way to Block IRS Scam Calls on your Landline
Most landline providers do not offer spam-blocking services, leaving you with no option but to block them manually on your phone. Manually blocking spam calls is ineffective because you can block numbers only after receiving the call.
The only effective way to block spam calls is to switch to a provider that blocks them automatically before they reach you.
Community Phone offers landline phone service with built-in spam call blocking that can stop unlawful and unwanted calls from reaching your landline. It allows you to keep your landline phone without tying it to the internet.
Get rid of unwanted calls, and protect yourself, your loved ones, or your business from scams with Community Phone's spam-calling blocking services. Its spam call blocker can automatically detect spam, fraud, or robocalls and stop them before your phone rings.
How does It work?
- When you receive a call to your Community Phone number, your phone won't ring immediately. The caller will hear a recording that asks them to "press 1 to connect."
- Robocalls work by sensing when the recipient picks up the phone and speaks. Once they hear a sound that isn't the sound of the phone ringing, the recording begins.
- Since robocalls don't press buttons, the call will never reach your phone.
- If an "unidentified caller" follows the instructions and your phone rings, you can let the call go to voicemail and respond to the voicemail if it's a legitimate caller.
The Safelist
The Community Phone "Safelist" is a list of numbers you pre-approved to receive calls from. Your phone will ring only to let calls from the pre-approved numbers reach you. It will block all other numbers before your phone rings. You can update this list anytime to add or delete pre-approved numbers.
This feature is handy for seniors who are unsuspecting victims of phone scams. The Community Phone account holder can prevent anyone seniors don't know from reaching them, guaranteeing they'll avoid phone scams.
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Research indicates that many people miss legitimate calls from unknown numbers, fearing scams. Community Phone is engineering revolutionary spam call-blocking software that automatically blocks 99% of spam calls and helps you manage legitimate calls.
The Safelist - 2
This feature lets your phone ring only for numbers pre-approved by you and routes the rest to voicemail. You can access your voicemails and respond to legitimate messages or missed calls. You can update the pre-approved list anytime to add or delete numbers.
The Blocklist
Community Phone guards your landline number against known robocallers, scam calls, and telemarketers by checking each incoming caller's number against a regularly updated database, better known as the blocklist. Their database has over 6 million known spam numbers and is growing daily. You can contribute actively by updating the database with a spam number to protect yourself and other Community Phone members from unwanted calls.
Join Community Phone's waitlist today for first access and receive a free brochure on how this one-of-a-kind spam call-blocking service can help you.
The Best Way to Block IRS Scam Calls on your iPhone
There are 2 ways to block spam calls on your iPhone
1. The Community Phone Spam Call Blocking App
You can find Community Phone's spam blocker in the Apple Store. Download this free app on your iPhone to block spam calls and text messages. You can also add the spam number to the Community Phone blocklist to update their blocklist. This action can help protect you and other Community Phone members from unwanted calls from that number.
2. Manually Block the Spam Number From Your iPhone
You can block scam calls manually on your iPhone by following these steps:
- Open the Phone App
- Tap > Recent
- Locate the number you want to block
- Tap the info icon
- Scroll to the bottom
- Tap block this caller
- Tap Confirm
The Best Way to Block IRS Scam Calls on your Android Phone.
You can block scam calls manually on your Android Phone by following these steps:
- Open the Phone App
- Tap more
- Access Call History
- Tap the number/name you want to block
- Tap Block/Report Spam
Benefits of Choosing the Community Phone Spam Blocker
Here are some benefits of choosing the Community Phone spam-blocker services:
1. Built-in Spam Blocker
Traditional landlines do not have in-built spam blockers. If you have a traditional landline, you can manually block spam numbers until you reach a limit. However, you can block the number only after you receive the call, which could be risky in many cases as you may have engaged the scammer.
The Community Phone built-in spam blocker scans, flags, and blocks spam calls before your phone rings, protecting you from scams and fraud.
2. Great Advantage for Seniors
The Safelist can ensure seniors are not troubled by scammers calling from unknown or unidentified numbers. The person who controls the Community Phone user account can pre-approve numbers from which the senior would like to receive calls. The spam blocker service will only allow calls from pre-approved numbers and block all other calls.
3. Take Control of Your Protection
You can update the Safelist or the Allowed list at any time to add or delete numbers. This feature prevents you from engaging scammers and ensures peace and protection against scams and fraud.
4. Effective Where the "Do Not Call" List Fails
The Do Not Call list is not effective against scammers. To prevent scam calls and to protect yourself from fraud, sign up for the Community Phone spam-blocker services for your landline or download their app for iPhone now.
FAQs
What is the best free scam call blocker for the iPhone?
Community Phone’s spam-blocking app on the Apple store is the best free scam call blocker for your iPhone. It blocks unwanted calls before your phone can ring, protecting you from scams and fraud.
Does the IRS call you on your cell phone?
The IRS may call you on your cell phone to set an appointment or discuss an audit. But they will notify you via mail before the call and not call you unannounced.
Conclusion
The IRS has been warning taxpayers about a recent increase in IRS scams. Criminals are posing as IRS agents and calling unsuspecting victims to scam them out of money or personal information. This article provides information on how to identify and report IRS scams.
Get the Community Phone spam blocker to protect yourself from IRS and other phone scams at affordable prices. Talk to their specialists to learn more!