The Internal Revenue Service on Wednesday issued a warning about the rising threat of impersonation scams as part of the federal agency’s continuing efforts to protect the nation’s senior citizen community.
These scams are targeting older adults in Mississippi and across the country by pretending to be government officials, aiming to steal sensitive personal information and money. By posing as representatives from agencies such as the IRS, or other government agencies, these fraudsters use fear and deceit to exploit their victims.
“Scammers often target seniors, attempting to steal personal information through phone calls, emails, or text messages by pretending to be from the IRS or other agencies or businesses,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said. “Preventing these types of scams requires assistance from many different places. By partnering with other federal agencies and others in the tax community, we can reach more seniors and other taxpayers to help protect them against these terrible scams.”
Specific forms of scamming attempts directed at the elderly include:
- Impersonation of known entities — Fraudsters often pose as representatives from government agencies — including the IRS, Social Security Administration, and Medicare — others in the tax community or familiar businesses and charities. By spoofing caller IDs, scammers can deceive victims into believing they are receiving legitimate communications.
- Claims of problems or prizes — Scammers frequently fabricate urgent scenarios, such as outstanding debts or promises of significant prize winnings. Victims may be falsely informed that they owe the IRS money, are owed a tax refund, need to verify accounts, or must pay fees to claim non-existent lottery winnings.
- Pressure for immediate action — These deceitful actors create a sense of urgency, demanding that victims take immediate action without allowing time for reflection. Common tactics include threats of arrest, deportation, license suspension, or computer viruses to coerce quick compliance.
- Specified payment methods — To complicate traceability, scammers insist on unconventional payment methods, including cryptocurrency, wire transfers, payment apps, or gift cards, and often require victims to provide sensitive information like gift card numbers.
If an individual receives an unexpected call from someone alleging to be from the IRS, but they have not been notified by mail about any issues with their IRS account, that person is urged to hang up immediately. The call is likely from a scammer.
IRS officials remind the public, especially senior citizens, that agents will never request credit card information over the phone, ask for payment without first sending a letter in the mail, or threaten to get law enforcement involved over late or delayed tax payments.
Scams can be reported to the federal agency here or by calling (800)366-4484.
