IRS phone scam still demanding money or jail time

The Better Business Bureau and many local police departments are again warning consumers about a phone scam that is demanding money and threatening jail time.

Agencies are still receiving phone calls from local consumers who have been contacted by someone claiming to be from the IRS or the U.S. Treasury office saying they owe money, and it must be paid promptly.

Consumers are instructed to buy a preloaded debit card or wire transfer funds to pay the debt. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are threatened with arrest, home foreclosure, deportation or suspension of business or driver's license. The caller often becomes very demanding, hostile and insulting.

The BBB wants consumers to know that the IRS will never ask you for credit card numbers over the phone or request a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. The IRS will most likely contact taxpayers via mail in regards to tax issues.

These callers are simply trying to scare consumers into paying them money they don't owe. Consumers should not be threatened into making any payments they are not certain they owe. The scammers use these strong arm tactics because they know many people will pay the money to avoid being arrested.

Some other characteristics of this scam:

Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers

Scammers may actually have the last four digits of your Social Security number.

Scammers can spoof caller ID phone numbers making it appear the call is really from the IRS or the local police department.

Victims can hear background noises of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.

After threatening jail time or deportation, scammers hang up and soon call back pretending to be from the local police to help support their claim.

Never trust callers who use threats and hostility to bully their targets into doing what they want. This is a scare tactic many scammers use.

The BBB recommends the following if you receive a similar type call:

If you know you owe taxes or think you might owe taxes, call the IRS or your accountant.

If you know you don't owe taxes, call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484 or www.treasury.gov.

If you've been targeted by this scam, you can contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their Complaint Assistant at www.FTC.gov.

Also report your experience on the BBB's Scam Tracker at www.bbb.org/scamtracker/central- georgia, so we can track the activity and warn others.

If you are not sure if the call is legitimate or not, contact the BBB at 1-800-763-4222 or at bbb.org.

Remember we are headed into tax season so expect that the IRS name is going to be used in a multitude of scams. Be alert and never provide your personal information.

Kelvin Collins is president/CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Central Georgia and the CSRA Inc., serving 41 counties in Middle Georgia and the central Savannah River area. This tips column is provided through the local BBB and the Council of Better Business Bureaus. Questions or complaints about a specific company or charity should be referred directly to the BBB at 478-742-7999, www.bbb.org or by emailing info@centralgeorgia.bbb.org.

This story was originally published January 18, 2016 at 8:24 PM with the headline "IRS phone scam still demanding money or jail time ."