Indian police have arrested 70 people and are questioning hundreds more after uncovering a massive scam to cheat thousands of Americans out of millions of dollars by posing as U.S. tax authorities and demanding unpaid taxes. This only goes to show you how much American citizens are fearful of the Internal Revenue Service, that they would give social security numbers and credit card accounts to individuals on the other side of the world to resolve personal problems, with no knowledge of who they are talking to.
The IRS reports receiving more than 900,000 complaints about similar scam calls since October 2013. More than 5,000 people have fallen for the scam, paying out more than $26 million collectively as a result of scams. The IRS has yet to comment on this recent arrest in India. The IRS warns it will never call and demand immediate payment. It will never require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, like a gift card or prepaid debit card. The agency will never ask for credit card numbers over the phone.
I receive calls such as this on a regular basis, but I refuse to respond to questions , or volunteer my personal account numbers to anyone. As the old phrase goes, “Just say no.” If for any chance you get such a call report the call to the IRS using their “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” web page. You can also call 800-366-4484. What do you think?