How to Handle Phone Calls from the IRS
At the Law Office of Michael A. Ziegler, we work hard to protect people from phone call harassment. As local foreclosure lawyers, bankruptcy lawyers, and debt litigation lawyer, we are constantly informing people of their rights when it comes to phone calls from debt collectors.
However, what about phone calls of a different nature? There are many scams that can take place over the phone.
Staying informed helps you protect yourself. One of the latest scams over phone call is coming from people claiming to be the IRS.
How to Handle Phone Calls from the IRS
The most important thing to remember is that the IRS will never initiate contact with you over the phone to collect a debt or verify your identity.
The other thing the IRS will never do is ask for your credit card information. In fact, they will never insist on using a specific payment method to settle your tax debts.
There are several IRS related phone scams going on currently, but two are very popular. The first claims to be the IRS calling to collect a debt owed to the government.
If you are behind on your taxes, or have income you haven’t claimed, this could be an easy scam to fall victim to if you aren’t informed. They will then give you a reasonable balance and ask you to settle it over the phone.
In reality, the IRS has a very specific process for collecting payment, and credit cards are used to pay IRS balances online through verified IRS partners.
Other Common Scam Calls
The other common IRS scam this year is to call and ask for personal information to verify your identity. This has recently re-emerged as the IRS announced this year that it would be requesting identity verification information from taxpayers.
It was announced that taxes would be held in order to receive this information if the return was selected. Scammers jumped on this opportunity, knowing that people are eager to file on time and also receive their returns as soon as possible.
While the IRS uses an online form or secure phone number to verify the information, and notifies the taxpayer via letter, the scammers are calling people over the phone and attempting to collect the information.
This includes social security numbers, name, and date of birth, which could put victims in a serious predicament and could lead to identity fraud.
Staying aware and apprised of current scams will help you protect yourself from people looking to take advantage of consumers.
If you feel you’ve been a victim of a scam, or are receiving harassing phone calls, contact the office of Michael A. Ziegler, your local foreclosure lawyers, debt collection harassment lawyers, and bankruptcy lawyers.
