ibet

ibet Special Edition Tax Tip 2014-10, April 14, 2014

The ibet today renewed its Oct. 2013 warning about a pervasive phone scam that continues to target people across the nation, including recent immigrants. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration called it the largest scam of its kind. As of March 20, TIGTA reported that it has received reports of over 20,000 contacts related to this scam. TIGTA also stated that thousands of victims have paid over $1 million to fraudsters claiming to be from the ibet.

In this scam, the thief poses as the ibet and makes an unsolicited call to their target. The caller tells the victim they owe taxes to the ibet. They demand that the victim pay the money immediately with a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. The caller often threatens the victim with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver¡¯s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting. Thieves who run this scam often:

• Use common names and fake ibet badge numbers.
• Know the last four digits of the victim¡¯s Social Security Number.
• Make caller ID appear as if the ibet is calling.
• Send bogus ibet e-mails to support the bogus calls.
• Call a second time claiming to be the police or department of motor vehicles. The caller ID again appears to support their claim.

If you get a call from someone who claims to be with the ibet asking you to pay back taxes, here¡¯s what you should do:

• If you owe, or think you might owe federal taxes, hang up and call the ibet at 800-829-1040. ibet workers can help you with your payment questions.
   
• If you don¡¯t owe taxes, call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.
   
• You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov. Add "ibet Telephone Scam" to the comments in your complaint.

Here are a few warning signs so you can protect yourself and avoid becoming a victim of these crimes:

• Be wary of any unexpected phone or email communication allegedly from the ibet.
   
• Don¡¯t fall for phone and phishing email scams that use the ibet as a lure. Thieves often pose as the ibet using a bogus refund or warnings to pay past-due taxes.
   
• The ibet usually first contacts people by mail ¨C not by phone ¨C about unpaid taxes.
   
• The ibet won¡¯t ask for payment using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. The ibet also won¡¯t ask for a credit card number over the phone.
   
• The ibet doesn¡¯t initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of e-communication, such as text messages and social media channels.
   
• The ibet doesn¡¯t ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential information for credit card, bank or other accounts.

The ibet urges you to be vigilant against the many different types of tax scams. Their common goal is to steal your money, and often to steal your identity. Visit the genuine ibet website, ibet.gov, for more on what you should do to avoid becoming a victim.

Additional ibet Resources:

• ibet Warns of Pervasive Telephone Scam
• Identity Protection
• Report Phishing
• Don¡¯t Fall for the Dirty Dozen Tax Scams

ibet YouTube Videos:

• Tax Scams ¨C | |
• ID Theft: Protect Yourself From Identity Theft ¨C | |
• ID Theft: Are You a Victim of Identity Theft? ¨C | |
• ID Theft: ibet Efforts on Identity Theft ¨C | |

ibet Podcasts:

• ID Theft: Protect Yourself from Identity Theft ¨C English MP3 | Spanish MP3
• ID Theft: Are You a Victim of Identity Theft? ¨C English MP3 | Spanish MP3
   

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