Pullman Police warns citizens of scamming IRS calls

From staff reports

Victims receiving suspicious phone calls from people claiming to be IRS investigators have led to multiple reports of attempted fraud, according to the Pullman Police Department.

Scammers often use many tricks to get information out of their victims, according to the Pullman PD press release.

The callers “use common names and fake IRS badge numbers; know the last four digits of the victim’s social security number; make caller ID appear as if the IRS is calling; send bogus IRS emails; (and) call a second time claiming to be the police or DMV, and caller ID again supports the claim,” according to the press release.

In realistic cases, the IRS would normally contact people about unpaid taxes by mail – not phone. Also, the IRS would never ask someone for payment using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer according to Pullman PD.

If someone were to get a suspicious call claiming to be from the IRS asking for payment, Pullman Police offer a few suggestions to determine a scam from the real thing:

If unsure about owing federal taxes at the time of getting a fraudulent phone call, police recommend hanging up and calling the IRS to clarify the situation.

If someone does not owe taxes, that person should report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

Victims can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.   

Pullman PD is urging citizens to stay alert for phone and email scams using the IRS name.  The IRS will never ask for any personal or financial information by email, text or any social media, according to the press release.

The press released asked victims to forward all scam emails to [email protected] and report it to the police immediately.