As April 15th nears, fraudulent IRS robocalls are bound to proliferate. Many of people get a tax refund around this time of year, and the scammers want a chunk of that money for themselves before it gets used for something else.
Consider this your yearly reminder: if someone claiming to represent the IRS calls you, informs you that you owe unpaid taxes, and then threatens you with arrest if you don’t pay up, that’s a scam.
Every single time.
Just hang up the phone.
Every single time.
The IRS doesn’t call people on the telephone as a first point of contact—if someone does contact you by phone, it’s regarding an issue you are already aware of and are in the process of resolving.
They also don’t keep the police waiting on the other line, ready to storm your house as soon as they get the word that you didn’t pay.
They also also don’t accept payment by wire transfer, prepaid gift card, iTunes card, or over the phone with a debit or credit card.
(They’re really not even all that big on throwing people in jail, other than for crimes related to tax evasion. If you owe money, they want the money.Putting people in jail would be counterproductive.)
Don’t let anybody trick you into a fear response over the phone.