RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — “The IRS is filing lawsuit against you…”
It’s a message so many people here and across the country have received from thieves out to get money and your personal information.
And it can happen to anyone by phone or email.
“What they’re trying to get out of you is your personal information,” said Richmond Better Business Bureau President Tom Gallaher. “They’re going to try to get your social security numbers, your bank account numbers. They’re going to try to scare you into giving them information that you don’t want to do.”
According to Gallagher, these people will threaten anything from a lawsuit to immediate arrest if you don’t pay up.
He warns you — don’t be fooled.
“The truth of the matter is the IRS doesn’t do that,” he explained. “And, if the IRS wants money from you, it’s going to be a long time coming before any such adjudication.”
To make matters worse, there’s no sure fire way to know when a scammer is calling you.
The person who wrote into our 8News ireport says they were contacted by a California number and then a Vancouver number.
Scammers may even go so far as to spoof a number to make it appear as a legit call from a government agency.
Gallagher says, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
“If you get somebody trying to badger you like that, just hang up the phone,” he said. “If they call back, don’t answer. And then call IRS in the morning or call the Better Business Bureau.”
Gallagher says whatever you do; do not engage in conversation with these people. If the IRS is actually trying to get money from you, you’ll receive something in the mail.
