Report: Scammers calling immigrants, pretending to be IRS, threatening deportation until money is paid

Immigrants should be careful if they get one of these calls.     - - Donna Poisl

from http://www.nashuatelegraph.com

The Internal Revenue Service today warned people 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. ... 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 in a press release. “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.”

Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim’s Social Security number, and often “spoof” the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that the IRS is calling.
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