The IRS is one of the most impersonated agencies in the country. Knowing their actual process makes it easy to identify a fake.
IRS impersonation scams cost Americans hundreds of millions of dollars each year. The scam works because most people are genuinely afraid of the IRS and do not know exactly how the agency contacts taxpayers.
The IRS almost always initiates contact by mailing a letter to your address on file. This is true for audits, notices of balances owed, and collection actions. The IRS does not initiate contact by phone, email, text message, or social media.
If the IRS does call you, it will only be after they have already sent you a letter, and the call will come from a real IRS employee who will give you their name and badge number. They will not demand immediate payment.
The most common variation tells you that you owe back taxes and a warrant has been issued for your arrest. You are told you can avoid arrest only by paying immediately using iTunes gift cards or wire transfer.
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