Yesterday, I received a telephone call from a 305 area code (Miami). After listening to the message, I called them back. They claimed to be from the Internal Revenue Service and that I had owed a past due amount and that they were going to pursue criminal charges against me. Today, a client called me and informed me that she had received a similar call.
In both cases, these were phishing scams and not the Internal Revenue Service! I refused to give them any information, and when I informed them that they were not the IRS they hung up on me.
DO NOT give these people any information! The IRS does not call you if you owe them money. When you owe the IRS money, you will be sent numerous notices via USPS First Class Mail. It is very rare for the IRS to call a taxpayer! They nearly always use USPS First Class Mail to contact taxpayers, especially if this is an initial contact!
When in doubt, ask for their name, badge number, and a number where your accountant or attorney can call them back. Then hang up. Do not give them any personal information whatsoever over the phone–do not confirm any personal information! When in doubt about any collection proceedings from any tax authority, contact your tax professional.
Also, note that it is extremely rare (never to the best of my knowledge) for the IRS to use email when dealing with tax payers.
See the following Internal Revenue Service links below for more information:
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/scam-phone-calls-continue-irs-identifies-five-easy-ways-to-spot-suspicious-calls
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/phishing-schemes-lead-the-irs-dirty-dozen-list-of-tax-scams-for-2017-remain-tax-time-threat
https://www.irs.gov/privacy-disclosure/report-phishing
See the following California Franchise Tax Board links below for more information:
https://www.ftb.ca.gov/online/Fraud_Referral/index.shtml
https://origin-www.ftb.ca.gov/aboutFTB/press/2017/02-02172017.shtml
https://www.irs.gov/privacy-disclosure/report-phishing
