Tax relief scam calls are nothing new, and if anything are just the natural evolution of phone-based cons. While many people simply ignore these attempts to get your financial information or finances, many people including older generations often fall for these tricks. Because of this, it has become a popular method for cunning scammers.
These calls can become worse if they know that the person who owns the number is responsive, actively answering calls, and willing to engage with scammers. Similarly, these scammers almost always target people over the age of sixty-five, as these people are statistically the most likely to fall for telephone scams.
This article will ensure that you are safe from tax relief scam calls not just this year, but for years to come. We will discuss how to tell if a call is a scam, when someone is impersonating the IRS, and how to effectively eliminate tax relief scam calls going forward. You may not be able to eliminate unknown callers entirely, but you can limit how many people try to contact you.
How to Know if It Is a Tax Relief Scam Call
There are a number of ways to tell if a call is a tax relief scam and it doesn’t require any extra steps from your end other than an attentive ear. Certain questions or requests from scammers will always give them away to knowledgeable people which is why they target older, less tech-friendly people so intensely.
The average tax relief scam will start with someone describing themselves as an IRS agent. This is not all that uncommon, and IRS agents do reach out to taxpayers over the phone. What they won’t do, is request sensitive financial information or ask you to wire money or purchase gift cards to pay off an outstanding bill.
They will also never threaten you over the phone. Scammers like to play off emotions, and the tax relief scam works entirely off of the fear of the individual the scammer is targeting. Because of this, it isn’t uncommon for a supposed “IRS agent” to make wild claims about you going to prison or the police coming to knock down your door.
These are all telltale signs of a scammer, and you should hang up the phone and report the call to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
How To Avoid Tax Relief Scammers
If you want to avoid tax relief scam calls and scammers in general, you will need to be more careful with how you give out information. Every online website that asks for your phone numbers, e-mail, or private information could potentially be leaking your details to 3rd parties. Because of this, it is important that you do not divulge sensitive information.
It is one thing to give out your address to Amazon so they can ship a package; it is another to enter personal information to an unknown person requesting your details over e-mail.
You can also look up phone numbers to ensure they are real and not “spoofed,” which allows people to call from faraway with a local area code. On the topic of numbers, never answer a call where you can’t recognize the recipient. If it has an unknown number, let it go to voicemail and don’t decline the call, as this can let the scammer know that the line is active and in use.
On top of these basic security precautions, you can also sign up for the National Do Not Call Registry, which will cut down on a large number of spam calls. Similarly, there are a number of call blocking apps, and some phones even have the feature built into the hardware of the device.
A Quick Wrap-up on Tax Relief Scam Calls
The best way to avoid scams is to heavily limit how many calls you respond to and how much information you give out. Never answer a call from an unknown number, and only answer calls from new numbers if you are expecting one or the number comes from a local area code. Local area codes can be spoofed, however, and it may help to look a number up if you are concerned.
The IRS will never demand you wire money or pay with a gift card over the phone, and they will also never threaten prison or police while on a call with you. Scammers love this tactic, however, and it is easy to give in to fear. Remain composed, and remember that you can always reach out to the IRS through their government website or number to double-check.
