IRS phone scam targets thousands

A phone scam continues targeting thousands of people across the country, including southern Colorado.

Several KRDO NewsChannel 13 viewers said they’ve received calls from people who claim to work for the Internal Revenue Service — and say they owe them money.

Carole Drummond, of Pueblo, received a call on Monday. “He said ‘Yes, you do have a lien against your property,'” she said of her conversation with the scam artist.

But Drummond said she knew the person on the other end of the phone wasn’t with the IRS. She said the caller tried to intimidate her but failed.

“You need to speak with one of the collectors or else the IRS will come to your house and they will put you behind the bars,” she recounted of her conversation with the caller. “And at this time I said, ‘I think I’m going to wait for the IRS to come to my house’ because I knew they wouldn’t be coming,'” Drummond said.

KRDO NewsChannel 13 called the number left on Drummond’s voicemail but got a busy signal.

The IRS says it usually contacts people first by mail, not phone, if they haven’t paid their taxes.

Drummond’s thankful she didn’t fall victim to the scam and wants to make sure others don’t either, especially the elderly.

“Especially because they may be alone. They have no one. And it’s a scary thing for them,” she said.

Those who have received a bogus call are encouraged to contact the Federal Trade Commission at www.FTC.gov. They can also contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.

Be on the lookout for email scams, too. Remember, the IRS will never ask for personal information by email.

The IRS offers five tips on its website to avoid falling victim to a scam. According to the IRS, it will never:

1. Call you about taxes you owe without first mailing you an official notice.

2. Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they saw you owe.

3. Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.

4. Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

5. Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.