Received this message last year from a female caller who identified herself as an IRS officer investigating a possible fraud charge on my income taxes. This year the voice is that of a male who identifies himself as Jonathsn Knight and gives his badge number. It is obviously a fraud since I have already received my refund and have never had a problem. These calls are annoying and hopefully can be stopped.
The Waseca County Sheriff’s Office is warning area residents about a phone scam from callers claiming to represent the Internal Revenue Service.
During the calls, residents have reported that the caller says they’re an IRS representative, and that the victim either is involved in a lawsuit or owes large sums of money
The IRS sends notifications in the mail and does not make phone calls. Anyone receiving a call like this should simply hang up, advises the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota.
People contacted by these scammers say the callers are abusive and threaten arrest or even deportation if alleged tax debts are not paid immediately — usually via wire transfer or prepaid debit cards, according to the BBB. Others have received voicemail messages stating they must contact the IRS immediately. Some messages have claimed to be from the U.S. Marshals, threatening arrest if alleged tax debts are not paid in full.
“If anybody asks you for personal information, hang up on them,” said Waseca County Sheriff Brad Milbrath, who added that one of his deputies received such a call.
The U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration estimates that 1.6 million Americans were victims of tax-related identity theft and refund scams in the first six months of 2013, an increase from 1.2 million in all of 2012, according to the state Attorney General’s office.
The BBB warns that scammers are utilizing technology to alter the information appearing on caller ID, so it may look as though a call is originating locally or from the IRS, when in fact the call is fraudulent.
The IRS website states they will never:
• Call to demand immediate payment, nor will they call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
• Threaten to bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
• Demand payment without giving people the opportunity to question or appeal the debt in question.
• Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
• Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
The IRS also doesn’t initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information. This includes requests for PIN numbers, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.
If you receive a fraudulent IRS phone calls, BBB recommends you:
• Hang up – Don’t provide any information over the phone. Call the IRS directly using the phone number found on their website or in the phone book.
• Protect your personal information – Never give out any personal or financial information over the phone. This includes your Social Security number.
• Contact the FCC – Let the Federal Communications Commission know about ID spoofing by calling 1-888-CALL-FCC or file a complaint at www.fcc.gov/complaints.
• Contact the FTC – File a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/complaint.
Milbrath recommends residents remain cautious if they receive calls asking for personal information or offering something that seems to good to be true.
He also asks victims and potential victims of scams to report the incidents to law enforcement so media outlets can be alerted if necessary and future scams can be stopped.
IRS Scam - Indian with broken English claiming to be IRS agent, Jonathan Knight (He is a New Kid on the Block by the way). I told him I knew it was the IRS scam and I had already reported them and he hung up on me.
Same caller. Sounds like a Mid east accent identifies himself as an IRS agent telling me I defrauded the government out of taxes. When I questioned him on it he hung up.
This was an automated robocall saying there was some sort of fraud and misconduct reported about me and my "tax" and I must return the call, and it was a very urgent matter. The robot voice said his name was Jonathan Knight from the IRS and he had a foreign accent and it was clearly a recording.