Becareful of Tax Scams, Feb. 27

CBPD news release.  The Coos Bay Police Department would like to remind our citizens during the tax season that scammers are out trying to victimize you. The IRS has provided the listed information below to help protect you from scammers. The IRS reminds people that you can easily spot a fake IRS caller. Here are five things the scammers often do, but the IRS will not do. Any one of these five things are a tell-tale sign of a scam. The IRS will never: Call to demand immediate payment, nor will they 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 get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here’s what you should do: If you know you owe taxes or think you might owe, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040, and IRS personnel can assist you with a payment issue. If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, 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 at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov; choose “Other” and then “Impostor Scams.” If the complaint involves someone impersonating the IRS, include the words “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes. The IRS does not use unsolicited email, text messages, or any social media to discuss your personal tax status. For more information on reporting tax scams, go to www.irs.gov and type “scam” in the search box. Additional information about tax scams are available on IRS social media sites, including YouTube and Tumblr where people can search “scam” to find all the scam-related posts. Additionally, if you receive a call and your caller ID shows, “The City of Coos Bay” and someone, or a machine recording asks you if you are interested in a “River Cruz,” or other such gift or award know that this is absolutely a scam. If you should receive a suspicious call and the person on the other line claims they are the “Coos Bay City Manager” and begins asking for personal information know that it is also a scam and do not give out any information.  The City of Coos Bay provides this information to our citizens in an attempt to educate and protect you, our citizens, from scammers.