A notice from the North Aurora Police Department says the old IRS phone scam is back in a big way.

Earlier this week, a Police Department staff member received an automated phone call on his cell phone.

“The call came from the number (571) 261-8175, showing from Haymarket, VA, and the voice claimed that he was being sued by the federal government and to call the Internal Revenue Service,” officials said in a Nixel post.

“When you call that number back, it is answered by a female with a heavy Indian accent who claims to be with the Inspector General’s Office of the IRS,” North Aurora police said. “When questioned about the validity of the call, she hangs up.

“This is a scam call. The IRS does not contact people by phone and certainly not on an unlisted work cell phone.  Do not call these people back and definitely do not give them any information or money.”

Local police reported a rash of similar scams in 2014, and there have been repeated incidents each year since. Since October 2013, the nationwide “IRS” telephone scam bilked taxpayers out of more than $26.5 million.

One possible reason the phone scam is popular this time of year is that taxpayers who filed for an extension have until Oct. 16 to pay taxes.

IRS: Scam Remains ‘A Major Threat’

According to the IRS website, “aggressive and threatening phone calls by criminals impersonating IRS agents remain a major threat to taxpayers.”

The IRS has seen a surge of these phone scams as scam artists threaten police arrest, deportation, license revocation and other things. The IRS reminds taxpayers to guard against all sorts of con games that arise during any filing season.

“Taxpayers across the nation face a deluge of these aggressive phone scams. Don’t be fooled by callers pretending to be from the IRS in an attempt to steal your money,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “We continue to say if you are surprised to be hearing from us, then you’re not hearing from us.”

Koskinen says there are many variations of the scam. The caller may threaten you with arrest or court action to trick you into making a payment. Some schemes may say you’re entitled to a huge refund.

How to Protect Yourself

Scammers make unsolicited calls claiming to be IRS officials. They demand that the victim pay a bogus tax bill. They con the victim into sending cash, usually through a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. They may also leave “urgent” callback requests through phone “robo-calls,” or via a phishing email.

Many phone scams use threats to intimidate and bully a victim into paying. They may even threaten to arrest, deport or revoke the license of their victim if they don’t get the money.

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

Here are five things the scammers often do but the IRS will not do. Any one of these five things is a tell-tale sign of a scam.

The IRS will never:

• Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
• Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
• Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
• Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
• Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here’s what you should do:

If you don’t owe taxes, or have no reason to think that you do:

• Do not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
• Contact TIGTA to report the call. Use their “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” webpage. You can also call 800-366-4484.
• Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the “FTC Complaint Assistant” on FTC.gov. Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.

If you know you owe, or think you may owe tax:

• Call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you.

Stay alert to scams that use the IRS as a lure. Tax scams can happen any time of year, not just at tax time. For more, visit “Tax Scams and Consumer Alerts” on IRS.gov.

Each and every taxpayer has a set of fundamental rights they should be aware of when dealing with the IRS. These are your Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Explore your rights and our obligations to protect them on IRS.gov.

SOURCE: North Aurora Police Department, IRS.gov

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