The Champaign County Sheriff’s Office is asking residents to be aware of a telephone scam by people claiming to be IRS agents.
Calls displaying the telephone number 412-287-4403 are being placed by people threatening lawsuit and arrest if funds are not transmitted via wire or extracted via the potential victim’s debit or credit cards.
The IRS does not conduct business in this manner. If someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from the IRS and threatens police arrest, deportation or license revocation if you don’t pay immediately, that is a sign that it really isn’t the IRS calling. The first IRS contact with taxpayers on a tax issue is likely to occur via mail.
If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, here’s what you should do:
•If you know you owe taxes or you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 800-829-1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you with a payment issue – if there really is such an issue.
•If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe any taxes (for example, you’ve never received a bill or the caller made bogus threats as described above), then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.
•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.
