Scams by individuals claiming to be with the Internal Revenue Service have been reported across Alaska.
Alaska Regional Manager Michelle Tabler with the Better Business Bureau detailed the scams.
Tabler: “First somebody saying that they are with the IRS calling to tell you that you have unpaid taxes. They use common names, they have fake IRS badge numbers, sometimes they even know the last four of your Social Security Number which is kind of scary, and then they demand payment of what you owe.”
Tabler said that the scams are becoming more high tech, making their phone numbers appear to originate from the IRS. She advised…
Tabler: “What you want to do is just hang up on these people and call the IRS number directly. They would not be initiating a phone call like that, the IRS would be contacting you by mail.”
Tabler added that emails claiming to be from the IRS have also been reported and as far as the Better Business Bureau knows, the IRS will not contact anyone by email either.
The Treasury Inspector General for Taxpayer Administration stated over 20,000 people across Washington, Oregon, and Alaska have lost money in the “largest ever” phone fraud scam of its kind.