BEWARE OF FAKE IRS COLLECTION CALLS

By Miriam Raftery

April 17, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)—Our dinner hour was interrupted twice recently by automated calls claiming to be from the IRS.  The messages were intimidating, claiming we owed a tax debt and threatening dire consequences if we wouldn’t pay up promptly.

The calls were scams- and so far, U.S. taxpayers have lost $14 million to the IRS robocall scammers. Some of the calls even appear to come from IRS headquarters, and the callers may have convincing details such as the IRS agent ID or your social security number.

The IRS does not make collection calls.  Never give any personal information or money to these tricksters.  Instead, jot down the caller’s number and other details, then report an IRS scam.

Consumers Union is taking action to halt the calls. They have  petition you can sign asking the major phone companies for free tools that will block these calls before they reach you.