Avoid IRS scam: If the tax agency wants to reach you, it won't be by telephone

You may have been one of the intended victims of this particular scam.

A caller who says they are with the Internal Revenue Service tells you that you owe the government money and goes on to describe where you should mail your check.

Don't.

The IRS never calls the people it does business with, it sends them a letter. This should be your first tip-off that you are about to become the victim of a scam artist.

You're probably thinking to yourself, "I would never fall for that one," but thousands of people have, to the tune of millions of dollars over the past few years.

The scammers often have personal information on their intended victims, enabling them to sound all the more convincing. But don't let that fool you, either. As we said before, the IRS doesn't make telephone calls to people in arrears, it writes them a letter.

If you find yourself the intended victim of this type of scam, just hang up. And call the Treasury Department at 800-366-4484 to report the attempt.

Published in Editorials on January 21, 2016 11:51 AM