The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office would like to make you aware of the IRS scam that is hitting our area hard.
There are multiple versions of this scam, but the most prevalent reported by residents is where they receive a call from a number that shows the "Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office" on the caller I.D. Once answered the person pretends to be a Sheriff's Office deputy and claims that the resident is past due on their taxes. The resident is asked for personal information and asked to pay their overdue taxes via the phone. If they refuse to give the information or make a payment residents are threatened that a deputy will be sent to their home.
Please know that the Sheriff's Office does not make calls on behalf of the IRS and that these calls are scams.
The IRS WILL NOT:
1) Call you to demand immediate payment.
2) Call you if you owe taxes without first sending you a bill in the mail.
3) Demand that you pay taxes and not allow you to question or appeal the amount you owe.
4) Require that you pay your taxes a certain way. For instance, require that you pay with a prepaid debit card.
5) Ask for your credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
6) Threaten to bring in police or other agencies to arrest you for not paying.
If you receive a phone call or voicemail from someone claiming to be from the IRS, here’s what you should do:
-If you know you owe taxes or you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you with a payment issue, if there really is such an issue.
-If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe any taxes (for example, you’ve never received a bill or the caller made some bogus threats as described above), then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1.800.366.4484.
-You can file a complaint using the FTC Complaint Assistant; choose “Other” and then “Imposter Scams.” If the complaint involves someone impersonating the IRS, include the words “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes. Access the FTC Complaint Assistant here: https://apps.irs.gov/app/scripts/exit.jsp?dest=https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=en&OrgCode=IRS
"An educated and engaged community is our best partner." - Sheriff Jerry L. Clayton
