East Texas residents target of IRS Phone Scam

People from all over the country are falling victim to a recent phone scam by scammers pretending to be IRS agents. The callers seem to be targeting East Texas residents, as BBB has received numerous calls Tuesday morning. These IRS impersonators are calling up their targets, demanding that they pay taxes they don’t even owe, by either loading money on a prepaid card or sending it via a wire transfer. Those who refuse to pay immediately are then threatened by the “IRS agents.” The threats include jail time, deportation, or the suspension of the victim’s business or driver’s license.

In order to convince people that they are real IRS agents, the scammers use several tricks including a program to make the IRS’s toll-free number appear on the caller ID, call center background noise, and false agent badge numbers. If the target is not already convinced, several callers are able to report the last four digits of the person’s Social Security number.

“Don’t be pressured into making payments you don’t owe,” said Mechele Agbayani Mills, President and CEO of Better Business Bureau Serving Central East Texas. “These callers are using scare tactics to try and catch you off guard.”

Follow these tips in order to protect yourself from this IRS scam and others like it.

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