Nassau County, NY - April 13, 2015 - As the Federal tax season comes to a close, Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano warns residents to beware of any phone calls from con-artists claiming they are from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Scammers have been known to trick residents nationwide into sharing private information, and often alter caller ID to look like the call is coming from the IRS in Washington. Victims have claimed the callers often threaten to send police or begin the home foreclose process after receiving a lack of cooperation. The IRS never employs these tactics as they have formal procedures in place to resolve tax issues and never resort to “shake-downs.”

Watch for these signs of a scam:

• The caller demands immediate payment – the IRS will never call about taxes owed without first mailing you a bill and giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount

• Require that you use a prepaid debit card for your payment

• Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone

• Threaten to have you arrested for non-payment of taxes

If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, here’s what to do:
• If you believe you were the victim of a scam, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1-800-366-4484 or online at www.tigta.gov.

• File a complaint using the FTC Complaint Assistant: choose “Other” and then “Imposter Scams”. Include the words “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes. Or you can call the FTC at 1-877-FTC-HELP.

• If you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.

Beware of any unsolicited email, text or other contact about your taxes!

Photo by iprole, via Free Images.