The IRS is warning of a phone scam in which victims, especially seniors and immigrants, are told they owe delinquent taxes and conned into paying criminals.
The scammers making the phone calls have been threatening people with arrest, deportation or a suspended driver’s licenses if payments aren’t made over the phone, according to an alert sent by the San Bernardino County Department of Aging and Adult Services.
The callers demand payments through pre-loaded debit cards or wire transfers, the alert said.
In some cases, the criminals have tampered with caller ID systems to make it appear they are calling from the IRS, the alert said.
The scammers have harassed victims by calling back multiple times, also posing as police or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services representatives.
Victims also have received emails supposedly from the IRS demanding to collect an owed debt.
Department of Aging officials ask anyone who may be a victim of a scam to call San Bernardino County Adult Protective Services at 1-877-565-2020, or their local police.
“The truth is the IRS usually first contacts people by mail — not by phone — about unpaid taxes,” according to an IRS statement. “And the IRS won’t ask for payment using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer.”