As a certified public accountant who knows every dime that goes in and out of our accounts, my antenna immediately went up when my wife, Susan, alerted me to the telephone message. She described the caller as verbally abusive and very convincing, so we were concerned others might be conned into sending money that isn’t owed at all. – Utah State Sen. Curt Bramble
SALT LAKE CITY — Over the past few months, Utah residents have lost thousands of dollars to callers posing as Internal Revenue Service employees.
Thus far, residents have been scammed out of at least $28,000, according to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
The caller typically states, "This is to inform you that we have received a legal petition against your name concerning a tax evasion, a tax fraud.”
The “supposed” IRS agent then insists on payment of back taxes, requesting credit card information and, in some cases, threatening deportation.
“I think it's important to alert the public that this is happening again, and to not fall prey to those who want to victimize us," Utah Department of Commerce Executive Director Francine Giani said.
IRS phone scams have been occurring for years. However, they are usually more frequent during tax-filing season, so the timing of this particular scam is unusual.
Susan Bramble, wife of certified public accountant and Utah State Sen. Curt Bramble, received four calls at home within a five-minute period last Tuesday. She was told she owed $3,500 in back taxes.
The caller then went on to say they could take care of it if she gave them a credit card. She said she told the caller, “Sorry, I need to talk to my husband when he gets home,” and then hung up the phone.
"As a certified public accountant who knows every dime that goes in and out of our accounts, my antenna immediately went up when my wife, Susan, alerted me to the telephone message," Sen. Bramble said. “She described the caller as verbally abusive and very convincing, so we were concerned others might be conned into sending money that isn’t owed at all.”
“Please, please, please do not give any of that personal information out over the telephone to a stranger who you do not know," Giani said. “Remember, an educated consumer is a scam artist's worst nightmare.”
The Utah Department of Commerce says the IRS will never: call you regarding owed taxes without first mailing you an official notice; demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount the IRS claims you owe; require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card or send money via wire transfer; ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone; or threaten to bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
The commerce department says if you know you owe taxes or think you might owe, call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you with a payment issue.
If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484 or at www.tigta.gov.
You can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov. If the complaint involves someone impersonating the IRS, include the words “IRS telephone scam” in the notes.
Email: kmccord@deseretnews.com