FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 10, 2016
Contact: James Hallinan (505) 660-2216
Santa Fe, NM – Attorney General Hector Balderas issued a scam alert this morning in response to a very large increase in reports made to the Office of the Attorney General by consumers across New Mexico regarding “IRS” scams. IRS imposters are calling using fake names, titles and even badge numbers in New Mexico. They may know the last four digits of your Social Security Number, may have caller ID information that appears to be the IRS calling, they may send bogus e-mails to you, and they may call back numerous times claiming to be from the police or from the department of motor vehicles with caller ID again appearing to be from these agencies.
Attorney General Hector Balderas warns taxpayers: “Don’t fall victim to IRS telephone scams or these imposters’ scare tactics, and don’t give out any personal identifiers or financial information. The IRS never asks you to pay them over the phone.”
Be Aware of these Red Flags:
“IRS” calls to inform you that you have an outstanding debt;
“IRS” calls and threatens those who refuse to pay with arrest, deportation or loss of a business or driver’s license;
“IRS” calls and states that you must pay immediately using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer;
“IRS” calls and asks for a credit card number over the phone to pay an outstanding debt.
These are high pressure scare tactics and should raise a Red Flag!
The TRUTH is:
The IRS does not call taxpayers and use scare tactics or threatening language and state that you must pay immediately.
The IRS does not call and state you must pay immediately using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer.
The IRS does not ask for a credit card number over the phone.
The IRS does not request personal or financial information by e-mail, texting or any social media.
If you get a call from an IRS imposter asking for payment hang up and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General at 1-800-366-4484 or file a complaint on-line at: http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/ or with the Federal Trade Commission at www.FTC.gov. Add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments in your complaint.
Any IRS scam e-mails that you receive should be forwarded to phishing@irs.gov.
If you think you might owe federal taxes, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. The IRS employees can help you with your payment questions.
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