[Students] CITE - IRS Scam
Lydia Harkey
Lydia.Harkey at tamuc.edu
Mon Apr 6 16:46:13 CDT 2015
Scammers target those who owe federal taxes
There have been reports of college students receiving a call from a person posing as an agent from the IRS. The caller tells the victim they owe taxes to the IRS related to their student financial aid; then demands that the victim pay the money immediately with a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer.
This is a scam. The IRS usually first contacts people by mail - not by phone - about unpaid taxes, and the IRS won't ask for payment using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. The IRS also won't ask for a credit card number over the phone.
Don't fall for phone and phishing email scams that use the IRS as a lure.
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 the agency 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 you owe federal taxes, or think you might owe federal taxes, hang up and call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you with your payment questions. If you don't owe taxes, call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484 or www.tigta.gov<http://www.tigta.gov>.
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