The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the public not to fall for any IRS scams. The office has been receiving calls on this scam, and officials are working to remind the public that the IRS doesn’t initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information.
The IRS does not:
- Call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. Generally, the IRS will first mail a bill to any taxpayer who owes taxes.
- Demand that you pay taxes without the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
- Threaten to bring in local police, immigration officers or other law-enforcement to have you arrested for not paying.
- The IRS also cannot revoke your driver’s license, business licenses, or immigration status.
Threats like these are common tactics scam artists use to trick victims into buying into their schemes. The IRS initiates most contacts through regular mail delivered by the United States Postal Service.
However, there are special circumstances in which the IRS will call or come to a home or business, such as when a taxpayer has an overdue tax bill, to secure a delinquent tax return or a delinquent employment tax payment, or to tour a business as part of an audit or during criminal investigations.
Even then, taxpayers will generally first receive several letters (called “notices”) from the IRS in the mail.
If an IRS representative visits you, he or she will always provide two forms of official credentials called a pocket commission and a HSPD-12 card. HSPD-12 is a government-wide standard for secure and reliable forms of identification for federal employees and contractors. You have the right to see these credentials. And if you would like to verify information on the representative’s HSPD-12 card, the representative will provide you with a dedicated IRS telephone number for verifying the information and confirming their identity.
For more information visit the IRS at https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-scamsconsumer -alerts.
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