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Telephone scam warning issued

Delta County Sheriff’s office is sending out a warning about a recently reported Internal Revenue Service (IRS) telephone scam.

Cooper resident Jane Sloan Ferris informed the Cooper Review she received a call from the IRS in which they were demanding payment or a lawsuit would be filed. Fortunately she responded quickly contacting her accountant and then the law enforcement.

IRS does not use unsolicited email, text messages or any social media to discuss personal tax issues. The IRS website provides information on how to identify telephone scam conversations.

“The IRS reminds people that they can know pretty easily when a supposed IRS caller is a fake. Here are five things the scammers often do but the IRS will not do. Any one of these five things is a tell-tale sign of a scam. The IRS will never: Call to demand immediate payment, nor will we call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill. Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe. Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card. Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone. Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.”

If a citizen should get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here’s what to do: If a citizen owed taxes or think they might owe, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040. The IRS workers can help with a payment issue.

If not, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1.800.366.4484 or at www.tigta.gov.

You can file a complaint using the FTC Complaint Assistant; choose “Other” and then “Imposter Scams.” If the complaint involves someone impersonating the IRS, include the words “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.

https://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Scam-Phone-Calls-Continue%3B-IRS-Identifies-Five-Easy-Ways-to-Spot-Suspicious-Calls

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