Check This Caller

IRS and tax scam calls: how they work

These calls run year-round, not just during filing season, and they rely on one thing: most people don't know how the actual IRS contacts taxpayers.

The script

A caller identifies themselves as an IRS agent or investigator, says you owe back taxes, and pushes for payment before you have time to check the claim. Common pressure points: a threat of arrest, deportation, or license suspension within hours; a demand to pay by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency; and a refusal to let you call back on a number you look up yourself. Some versions add a spoofed caller ID showing a Washington, DC area code, or a fake “badge number” to sound official.

A related version claims you're owed a refund and asks for your Social Security number or bank details to “process it,” which is the same scam aimed at a different emotion.

How the real IRS contacts you

  • By mail first. The IRS opens contact about a tax bill with a letter, not a phone call, and not a text or email.
  • Never demands a specific payment method. The IRS doesn't ask for gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency, and won't tell you not to talk to your accountant, tax preparer, or an attorney.
  • Never threatens immediate arrest, deportation, or license revocation over the phone for nonpayment.
  • Gives you the right to question or appeal what you owe before collecting it.

If any of those don't match what you just heard, it wasn't the IRS.

Why filing season makes it worse

Call volume for this scam rises every year in the run-up to the April filing deadline, when real tax deadlines and real IRS correspondence are already on people's minds. A fake urgent notice blends in with genuine ones. The underlying script doesn't change; the caller just picks a season when a demand for immediate action seems plausible.

What to do about it

  • Hang up. Don't give out a Social Security number, bank details, or payment of any kind on the call.
  • If you think you might actually owe something, check directly at irs.gov or call the IRS using a number you looked up yourself, not one the caller gave you.
  • Report it to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at tigta.gov and to the FTC.
  • You can also look up the number here to see if others have already reported it, or browse government impersonation reports for similar patterns.