Every year clients come in shaken by a phone call. Someone claiming to be the IRS said there is a warrant, a lawsuit, or a frozen account, and it can all be fixed today with a payment. These calls are aimed at immigrants, at older people, at anyone who speaks English as a second language, and at anyone who has ever been late on a return. The callers know that uncertainty is what makes people pay. Here is how to know it is fake, quickly.
How the IRS actually contacts people
The IRS initiates contact by mail. A letter arrives at the address on your last return, with a notice number in the corner, explaining what it is about and how to respond. Phone calls, when they happen at all, come after letters and after you have had a chance to respond to them. The IRS does not text you about a refund, email you a link to claim money, or message you on social media. If your first contact about a supposed problem is a phone call or a text, it is not the IRS.
Five things the IRS never does
- Demand immediate payment by gift card, prepaid debit card, wire transfer or cryptocurrency. No government agency is paid in gift cards.
- Threaten to have you arrested, deported or have your driver's license revoked over the phone.
- Demand payment without giving you the chance to question or appeal the amount.
- Ask for credit card or bank numbers over the phone.
- Call about a refund and ask you to verify your Social Security number or bank details to release it.
The versions we see most in Midland
The caller speaks Spanish and claims to be from the IRS or from immigration, and says a tax problem is about to affect a pending case. The text message says a refund is waiting and links to a page that asks for your Social Security number and bank login. The voicemail gives a badge number and a case number and a callback line. The email carries the IRS logo and an attachment labeled as a notice. All four are scams, and the details that make them sound official, the badge numbers, the case numbers, the logos, are the easiest parts to fake.
Caller ID proves nothing. Scammers can make any number appear, including a real IRS phone number. The number on the screen is not evidence of who is calling.
What to do
- 01Hang up. Do not press a number to speak to an agent, and do not call the number they left.
- 02Do not click links in texts or emails claiming to be from the IRS. Forward phishing emails to the IRS's phishing address and delete them.
- 03If you think you might actually owe something, check your IRS online account directly, or bring the question to us. Real balances show up there; scam balances do not.
- 04Report the call to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, which handles IRS impersonation, and to the Federal Trade Commission.
- 05If you already paid, contact the gift card issuer or your bank immediately. Speed matters more than embarrassment.
Frequently asked questions
I got a real-looking letter. How do I know it is genuine?
Real notices have a notice or letter number, usually in the top or bottom right corner, that you can look up on the IRS website. Bring it to us and we will read it with you. Letters are where the real problems are, and they are also the ones that are easiest to resolve.
Does the IRS ever call?
Occasionally, after letters, and in specific situations such as a scheduled audit or an overdue balance already in collection. Even then, the caller will not demand a specific payment method or threaten you.
Someone filed a return in my name. What now?
That is identity theft, and there is a specific IRS form and process for it. Bring the rejection notice or letter to us and we will start it. You can also request an Identity Protection PIN from the IRS so it cannot happen again.
When in doubt, ask us first
Before you pay anyone anything over a tax claim, call (432) 257-7547 or come by 700 C Andrews Hwy in Midland. It takes us a minute to tell you whether it is real. English and Spanish.
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