IRS phone scam makes its way through mid-Missouri
When David Dollens got a phone call from someone claiming to be the IRS, a little red flag went up for him.
“I hung up,” he said.
But when they called back a second time, he listened for a while before hanging up again.
“The second time they said ‘we’re not going to give you any more warnings.'” Dollens said. “‘We’re not gonna call you any more. We’re going to come arrest you’.”
The Columbia Police Department is warning mid-Missourians about this scam. People will call and claim to be the IRS demanding money for back taxes.
As the deadline to file taxes looms, Better Business Bureau’s regional manager Sean Spence said they’re seeing more complaints about these scams every week.
He said scammers are taking advantage of uneasy feelings.
“It’s a place where we’re worried about doing something wrong, it’s a place where we know we can get in big trouble,” said Spence. “It’s also something that pretty much every adult age group has to face so it makes people easy targets often.”
Spence said the best thing to do is what Dollens did: If something seems fishy, hang up right away.
“If you’ve got something that you think is a scam at all, hang up the phone,” he said. “If you think you’ve got a problem with the IRS, hang up the phone and call the IRS.”
He also said people should never give someone personal information over the phone either.
The IRS will never call or email someone about their finances or taxes. They will send a formal letter in the mail.
If you or someone you know has gotten one of these scam calls, you can let law enforcement, the Better Business Bureau or the Attorney General’s Office know.
