• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Crime / Courts / Iowans lost thousands of dollars in IRS phone scam

Iowans lost thousands of dollars in IRS phone scam

February 16, 2016 By Dar Danielson

IRS LogoSome Iowans have been victims of a phone scams where the caller claims to be from the Internal Revenue Service.

IRS spokesman, Chris Miller, says Iowa ranked 34th for number of scam victims.

“According to numbers recently released by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, there have been around 20 victims in Iowa so far since this scam began about two-and-a-half years ago,” Miller says. “And they have lost around $85,000.”

Miller says the Iowans are a small part of the overall picture. “Across the country…more than 5,000 victims have lost more than $26.5 million,” Miller says. He says the scam is fairly simple.

“Taxpayers get a call from someone pretending to be the IRS. They says the person owes taxes — and if they don’t pay immediately by a prepaid debit card or a wire transfer — then they are threatened with arrest, or deportation, or loss of their driver’s license,” Miller explains.

Miller says this type of phone call should immediately raise a red flag.”We will not threaten, or call you out of the blue to demand payment,” Miller says. He has this advice for dealing with the scam calls. Miller says if you get such a call, you should hang up, and don’t engage with the caller. He says you can report the call to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

Scammers often alter caller ID numbers to make it look like the IRS or another agency is calling. They may use the victim’s name, address and other personal information to make the call sound official.

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Crime / Courts, News Tagged With: Taxes

Featured Stories

Exhibit features lesser known works of Grant Wood

Testing finds 21 new CWD cases in deer

It may become a crime in Iowa to use fake urine in workplace drug tests

February trending 18 degrees below average temperature

Iowa House Education Committee votes to end tenure at UI, ISU, UNI

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa State looks to avoid winless Big-12 season

New look and new format at girls’ state basketball

Youngstown State takes action against assistant football coach

Iowa’s Jack Nunge lost for the season

Key stretch begins for #9 Iowa

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2021 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC