IRS phone scams on rise again in Nevada

Nevada Daily Mail

Nevada Police Department investigators have received several calls from citizens reporting that they have been contacted by an individual claiming to be an IRS agent. The caller claims that the victim has delinquent tax payments and if no corrective action is taken, a federal arrest warrant will be issued.

These calls are bogus and the resident should be cautious to avoid becoming a victim. The caller will often include the threat of federal civil action against them. The scammer will then attempt to force payment from the victim. Scammers will also leave similar threatening messages on answering machines, by text, and in some cases email. The scammer may know the victim's partial Social Security number, and some personal information.

Scammers often spoof the IRS numbers so that it appears to be the IRS calling.

Citizens who are contacted by the scammers should not provide any personal information to the caller. Citizens are encouraged to document the time, and phone number of the call. Citizens should listen carefully to the conversation and note any reference to the IRS, or any claim to be an agent including the believed agent name and IRS badge number provided. This information will be needed when reporting the scam.

Below are some characteristics of these scammers, and contact information for the IRS investigative division.

* Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.

* Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim's Social Security number.

* Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it's the IRS calling.

* Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.

* Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.

* After threatening victims with jail time or driver's license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID supports their claim.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, here's what you should do:

If you know you owe taxes or you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 800-829-1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you with a payment issue -- if there really is such an issue.

If you know you don't owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe any taxes (for example, you've never received a bill or the caller made some bogus threats as described above), then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.

You can file a complaint using the FTC Complaint Assistant; choose "Other" and then "Imposter Scams." If the complaint involves someone impersonating the IRS, include the words "IRS Telephone Scam" in the notes. Further information on these scams can be located at www.IRS.gov.

Citizens are encouraged to contact police if they have information that would be helpful to combat crime.

To report criminal activities call the Dispatch Center at 417-448-2710 or 911. The confidential Tip Hotline can be contacted at 417-448-5117. Any and all information will be kept confidential.

For questions regarding crime prevention or start a Neighborhood Watch Program, contact the Nevada Police Department at 417-448-5100.