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Bogus IRS Calls Topped List Of Most Reported Scams In 2016
Source:
forbes.com
- Jan 9, 2017
Callers posing as agents from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) attempting to collect bogus tax debts topped the list of the most reported scams of 2016, according to the Better Business Bureau. Those IRS phone scams accounted for 1 in 4 reported scams last year.
As part of the scam, callers dialed up potential victims while impersonating agents from the IRS or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Calls were typically made using VoIP (voice over internet protocol) technology that allowed the scammers to "spoof" the phone numbers, making it appear that the calls were coming from the IRS or other government agency. After convincing numerous taxpayers that they needed to pay up or face punishment, thieves were able to make off with millions of dollars in stolen money. The U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George reported that his agency alone had received over 2 million contacts from individuals who received these kinds of solicitations and approximately 10,000 people acknowledged that they were victims. The largest single amount paid as a result of the IRS impersonation scam as charged in the indictment is $136,000, paid by a victim in California.
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Category: General Business
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