IRS Scam calls

It is that time of year again. CBS DFW has shared the following article on facebook and it is being shared here as a PSA:

W-2s are hitting many north Texan’s mailboxes right now, and with them the possibility of an IRS scam.

A man who only wanted to go by his first name Bashir, says he received a call from a man claiming he was an IRS agent, complete with badge and case number. The caller demanded that Bashir pay at least $3,500, or face arrest.“I was going crazy. My heart was out of control. I was terrorized by this call,” says Bashir.Bashir says he drove to an IRS office, even though he knew he didn’t owe any taxes, and when an employee tried to ask the caller for his badge number, the man on the other end hung up.“He kept telling me that I was defrauding the government and after several attempts to reach me, I had not yet paid. Then he said I had 45 minutes to comply or I would be taken to jail,” Bashir says.Bashir wants to warn others that anyone claiming to be an IRS agent probably isn’t so.And the IRS corroborates Bashir’s claim.The agency reminds people that they will never call your home and demand money. They add that while these scams occur year round, they tend to pick up around tax time, when people are beginning to, or already have started to file their taxes.

Please be aware that the IRS will not ask for your information over the phone and it is important that you do not share your information over the phone with anyone demanding it.