Kilmartin: Scammers posing as IRS reps

PROVIDENCE – Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin is warning consumers against a familiar scam that has “a new twist.”
“Just when we are on to the scam and alert consumer what to look for, these outfits change up the game and, as a result, people are more likely to fall for it,” Kilmartin said in a statement.
The scam in question has traditionally involved a scammer purporting to call from the IRS, telling a consumer they owe back taxes and would be arrested should they not make a payment immediately. If the consumer didn’t answer the phone, the scammer would leave a message and move on to the next call, according to the attorney general.
Now, Kilmartin says, the scammer has “created a sophisticated network of phone calls and return phone numbers in order to fool the consumer into thinking they are legitimate,” according to a press release. “More and more often, the scammer will leave a voicemail indicating they are from the IRS calling about a problem with your tax return and request the consumer call them back immediately.”
Here are how some of those conversations might go, according to Kilmartin:

  • If you say you are going to call your accountant, they are quick to tell you that the accountant can’t help. The only way to fix the problem is through an “approved payment method.”
  • The scammer may say they have your Social Security number to prove they are the IRS, only to read off a bogus Social Security number in hopes the consumer will correct them and reveal the real social security number (which can be then used for ID theft).
  • If the consumer questions if the call is fake, the person on the phone will transfer the call to their “supervisor,” in hopes of adding another layer of legitimacy to their claims.
  • They are extremely aggressive and may call multiple times, escalating their threats of imminent arrest if a payment is not made.
  • The attorney general urges consumers not to engage with the caller because the longer they are on the phone “the more likely you will be scammed into giving them money or personal identifying information,” according to the release.
    “If someone calls claiming to be from the IRS, simply hang up. If you receive a voicemail from someone claiming to be from the IRS, do not call them back,” Kilmartin said. “These criminals prey on the honest nature of citizens. With these outfits operating outside the reach and jurisdiction of traditional law enforcement, the best chance we have to stop it is through consumer education. Our consumers are on the front line of this scam, and they are our best weapon to end it by hanging up the telephone.”
    Anyone who suspects they may have been targeted by a scam is urged to call the attorney general’s consumer protection unit at (401) 274-4400, or via email at consumer@riag.ri.gov.

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