The Dallas Police Department recently had an incident reported in which an individual was scammed over the phone into paying money to someone claiming to be an IRS agent. The call comes from a spoofed number that looks like an IRS phone number. The person on the phone says a debt is owed to the IRS and a warrant will be issued for your arrest if you do not pay it. The person then gives directions to transfer money into a bank account to resolve the issue. 

The Dallas Police Department encourages everyone to follow the scam prevention tips from the IRS.gov website below: 

The IRS Will Never:

• Call to demand immediate payment over the phone, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
• Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
• Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
• Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
• Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money and you don’t owe taxes, here’s what you should do:

• Do not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
• Contact TIGTA to report the call. Use their “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” web page or call 800-366-4484.
• Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the “FTC Complaint Assistant” on FTC.gov. Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.
• If you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040.

For more information about IRS tax scams, visit www.irs.gov.