How the IRS Contacts Taxpayers

Many IRS scams are circulating in which millions of dollars have been lost, not to mention all the personal information that was stolen.

It might seem that it’s easy to avoid these scams and you’re most likely thinking to yourself ‘there’s no way they can fool me!’ but in reality, it’s more simple than you think.

The scammers find ingenious ways of tricking people, and you can be one of those people unless you learn something straightforward – the ways the IRS uses to contact people.

In our opinion, knowing how the IRS contacts taxpayers is a surefire way of never getting tricked by criminals presenting themselves as the IRS.

Let’s take a look at how this system works.

The Official Way of Contacting the IRS Uses

In most cases, the IRS will use the regular U.S. Postal Service mail system.

However, there are circumstances when the IRS will use a different method of contacting, like the phone. Thankfully, it’s easy to determine if the IRS will use the phone to contact you, as they always have a specific reason for it:

• When you have an overdue bill to pay
• When the IRS needs to observe your business activities and conduct a corporate audit or a criminal investigation
• When the IRS wants to secure a delinquent tax return or employment tax payment

You might still not know if the person calling you is an IRS employee. Thankfully, the IRS will also send you a letter or a notice before they start phoning you.

The best way to avoid scams is to remember that the IRS always begins correspondence by first sending an official written letter through the mail.

Additional Notes You Need to Know

Even though most of what we’ve said is enough, there are still some general rules you should know about the IRS. These will help you determine if what communications you have started experiencing with the IRS is coming from the official IRS.

• The IRS will never ask for a specific payment method from you, especially not over the phone.
• The IRS will never ask for you to make a tax payment of any kind immediately. It will start with an official letter from them.
• The IRS never uses threatening or a demanding voice, and they will never say that they will involve the police or some other official agency.
• In some rare, special occasions, the IRS can make an unannounced visit, but their personnel will always show you their official credentials. These are called HSPD-12 cardsand are used as a government-wide standard identification card. You have the right to ask to see them.
• The IRS doesn’t initiate contact using email, text messages, or social media, onlythrough regular mail.
• Any payments the IRS requests from you will always be directed to the U.S Treasury, never any other source.

If you remember most of what we’ve mentioned here, you’ll remain safe from any of the IRS scams that are floating around. If you still have any lingering questions or you need some help in your dealings with the IRS, feel free to contact us at Golden Tax Relief.

Ben Golden, EA