Scammers are good at communicating; they use every avenue they can to reach unsuspecting victims, even calls and texts. They are also performers. They often impersonate agencies like the IRS to steal money and sensitive information. This tax season, Business Consumer Alliance wants all to beware of phony IRS calls. Here’s how the scam works and how to protect yourself against impersonators.
How IRS Scams Work
Scammers call claiming to be IRS representatives or agents saying you owe back taxes or fines. They demand immediate payment by crypto, a payment app, or gift card. They may ask for your bank account information or social security number. Don’t even respond. It’s a scam. The impersonators are really looking to steal your money or personal information.
Guard Against Imposters
These scams are not uncommon and aren’t just exclusive to IRS impersonators. Impersonation scams are one of the top reported scams globally. These con artists pose as government agencies, technical and customer support, banks, and merchants. Some even pretend to be family members and friends in need in order to trick you.
While their tactics are crafty, there are some key steps you can follow to avoid getting scammed:
- Never give your personal or financial information to anyone you have not checked out or who contacts you out of the blue.
- Keep in mind that government agencies won’t call, email, text, or message you on social media to request personal or financial information. You will receive a letter in the mail.
- If they insist that you pay immediately using cryptocurrency, wire transfer (Western Union or MoneyGram), a gift card, or payment app (CashApp, Venmo, PayPal Friends and Family) that is a clear sign of a scammer. These are scammers' preferred payment methods.
- Don’t let your eyes deceive you. Scammers often spoof numbers to make caller ID look like you are being contacted by a real government agency, company, or individual.
- Avoid clicking links in unsolicited text messages, social media messenger, or emails.
- Don’t give remote access to your computer or devices to anyone who contacts you out the blue.
If you think you have encountered an impersonation scam, let us know. You can also contact the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI’s Internet Crimes Complaint Center. Make sure to share this information with others and follow BCA on Facebook for more scam advisories.
About Business Consumer Alliance
Business Consumer Alliance (BCA) is a non-profit company that started in 1928. The broad purpose of BCA is to promote business self-regulation. BCA's mission is achieved by assisting consumers in resolving complaints with businesses and using that complaint information, along with other relevant information such as customer reviews, to forecast business reliability. With community support, BCA can identify trustworthy and ethical businesses and warn the public to avoid unscrupulous businesses whose purpose is to defraud the marketplace. BCA also helps businesses promote themselves by providing services and tools to protect their business and reach out to their customers. BCA obtains its funding from member businesses who support the mission and purpose of the organization and who agree to abide by high standards of ethical business practices.