Scammers Pose As IRS In Time For Tax Season
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Just in time for tax season, there's a new scam you need to know about.
The IRS put out a warning about a phone scam a couple of months ago.
KDKA was there when a local couple spoke with one of the scammers over the phone.
The caller says his name is officer John Smith.
He called the couple in Peters Township twice Tuesday.
And IRS officials confirmed Smith was not a real IRS employee.
"I don't really have any doubt that the call that you described to me is a scam," said IRS Spokesperson Jenny Jenkins. "We've been getting reports about similar type of phone scams."
The second time around, the caller left a more threatening message.
"I figured it was a scam, because we have no reason for the IRS to be contacting us," the victim, who didn't want to be identified, said. "Since it's IRS time, it's a big red flag here – just watch for calls like this."
When we tried calling the number back, but there was no answer.
The IRS also says it's very rare for them to initiate contact by phone, they will almost always mail you a letter first.
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