Potential Phone and Phishing Scams
From Conway Center Service Provider Gryphon Financial Partners
As we are in tax season, we thought a good time to remind you to be aware of potential IRS phone and phishing scams. One of our employees recently received a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, claiming that he owed the IRS money and demanding payment. Obviously, this was a scam attempt.
Note that the IRS will never:
- Call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. Generally, the IRS will first mail you a bill if you owe any taxes.
- Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
- Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
- Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
- Initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information.
This link from the IRS provides good information for what to be watchful: https://www.irs.gov/uac/tax-scams-consumer-alerts