An aggressive and sophisticated phone scam targeting citizens in Corpus Christi has been making the rounds again.
Callers claim to be employees of the Internal Revenue Service. These callers can sound very convincing when they call. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers to help fool the people they are targeting. They usually know some information about the person they are calling and they can even alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling.
Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting.
Victims may also be told that they have a tax refund coming to them from the IRS. This is a trick used to get private banking information from you.
The Internal Revenue Service wants everyone to know that they will never:
1) Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
2) Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed.
3) Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card or wire transfer.
4) Ask for your credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
5) Threaten to bring the police or other federal law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
If you have any questions regarding a solicitation that you have received, you can call the Better Business Bureau at 361-852-4949.
You must be logged in to post a comment.