Full Notification

PHONE SCAM ALERT

This is a warning to taxpayers to beware of phone calls from individuals claiming to represent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or U.S. Treasury Department in an effort to collect money from you.

The Hayward Police Department received numerous calls from concerned citizens claiming they have received calls with pre-recorded messages, such as, “This message is intended to contact you regarding an enforcement action executed by U.S. Treasury/IRS.” Callers tell intended victims they owe taxes and must pay using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. The callers threaten those who refuse to pay with arrest, deportation or loss of a business or driver’s license. They would leave the return contact name of “Steve Martin” or other IRS personnel.

According to the IRS, they contact 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.

The callers who commit this fraud often:
• Use common names and fake IRS badge numbers.
• Know the last four digits of the victim’s Social Security Number.
• Make caller ID information appear as if the IRS is calling.
• Send bogus IRS e-mails to support their scam.
• Call a second time claiming to be the police or department of motor vehicles, and the caller ID again supports their claim.

If you get a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS/U.S. Treasury asking for a payment, here’s what to do:
• If you owe Federal taxes, or think you might owe 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 TIGTA at 800-366-4484.
• You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.FTC.gov. Add “IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments in your complaint.

Be alert for e-mail scams that use the IRS name. The IRS will never request personal or financial information by e-mail, texting or any social media. You should forward scam e-mails to [email protected]. Don’t open any attachments or click on any links in those e-mails.

To report a scam: http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml