WASHINGTON ? The Internal Revenue Service today warned consumers about a sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, throughout the country.

Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver?s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting.

?This scam has hit taxpayers in nearly every state in the country.  We want to educate taxpayers so they can help protect themselves.  Rest assured, we do not and will not ask for credit card numbers over the phone, nor request a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer,? says IRS Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel. ?If someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from the IRS and threatens police arrest, deportation or license revocation if you don?t pay immediately, that is a sign that it really isn?t the IRS calling.? Werfel noted that the first IRS contact with taxpayers on a tax issue is likely to occur via mail
Other characteristics of this scam include:
Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.
Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim?s Social Security Number.
Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it?s the IRS calling.
Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.
Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.
After threatening victims with jail time or driver?s license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID supports their claim.
If you get a phone call 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.
If you?ve been targeted by this scam, you should also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their ?FTC Complaint Assistant? at FTC.gov.  Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments of your complaint.
Taxpayers should be aware that there are other unrelated scams (such as a lottery sweepstakes) and solicitations (such as debt relief) that fraudulently claim to be from the IRS.
The IRS encourages taxpayers to be vigilant against phone and email scams that use the IRS as a lure. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information.  This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels. The IRS also does not ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts. Recipients should not open any attachments or click on any links contained in the message. Instead, forward the e-mail to phishing@irs.gov.

More information on how to report phishing scams involving the IRS is available on the genuine IRS website, IRS.gov.

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Warns-of-Pervasive-Telephone-Scam

A woman acting as a IRS agent  called for my son.  She said my son would be arrested in thirty minutes because he had defrauded the government in the Islands.  I did not give her any information and she became very angry.  At that point she said my son would be arrested in thirty minutes and she hung the phone up. A few hours later a second person (a male)  called with the say message.   We dance around in conversation about the Law Enforcement offices and finally I told him the Feds  were looking into this matter and I hung up. Until I pull myself together, I was afraid that my law abiding son was in deep trouble, the more I thought it and checked out the telephone I knew these we s crammers.

For those who will read this, IRS does not react to you in ANGER in matters like this nor do they call w/o proper ID.   Call the police and report the incident.

These people need to be stopped. They scammed me out for $66,000. I didn't know what was going on at first they said they were going to deport me or I would go to jail for 19 years so I panicked and did everything I could to save myself to stay with my kids to find out I just gave away all that money to scammers breaks me and my family. The FBI needs to do something to stop these people, it's beyond wrong and I don't feel like anythings getting done.

Just got a call..didn't answer..heard message..should of clued me in..called back..told a warrant..criminal actions..would be arrested..tried tofind out ..for what?..she put on a guy and he yelled  at me..asked me if I was stupid? I hung up..called sherriffs office and reported it

I got a call from these people stating that I'm wanted for money laundering and fraud, I was shocked and tried to get more info on what  was going on, they hung up me and I called back, they said I was being rude and how can I talk to a government official in such a fashion. They claim that it was too late and that a warrant for my arrest has already been issued, they even transfer me to an officer who said to be coming to arrest me in 25-30 minutes, I then called the police to file a complaint and to see what info I could get about the issue, I even proceed to call IRS who told me that it's scam and they gave me a number to report the incident, my mother even called a 3rd time to where they said they didn't want to talk to anyone of my family members and labelled me a terrorist and then claimed to be department of treasury before hanging up before my mom gave them an earful.

Recd cal from this number today- when I called back 1st time it was a recording that disconnected. 2nd time I was told that there was a federal lien again me with the IRS & that the police issued an arrest warrant & would be calling me in 30 minutes- I hung up. Scam !

got a  call  with  similar  message.  when I  called  the  number,  it  gets  disconnected.  scammers

I called 3 times ( 2 times on this No) 0ne time on similar No. It fraud may FBI should invetigate, do not fall for it. these are scammer

got identical threatenning call but I knew it was a scam from Tel No. 202-241-1415

This number called and told me that I have a fraud case against me, and a warrant is out for my arrest, I thought it was for real and started to be if he could do anything for me. Then he said he was calling a higher person in who said he is sending the papers for him to sign so to stop the arrest warrant  and that I have to pay immediately 3000 dollars and I should go to rite aid and buy money card which I did and gave him hype number. The just scammed me out of 7000.00 dollars.