IRS impersonation scam
File:IRS impersonation scam robocall 02.mp3
An IRS impersonation scam is a class of telecommunications fraud and scam which targets American taxpayers by masquerading as Internal Revenue Service (IRS) collection officers.{{cite web|title=Phone Scams Continue to be a Serious Threat, Remain on IRS "Dirty Dozen" List of Tax Scams for the 2016 Filing Season|url=https://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Phone-Scams-Continue-to-be-a-Serious-Threat,-Remain-on-IRS-Dirty-Dozen-List-of-Tax-Scams-for-the-2016-Filing-Season|website=IRS|access-date=28 March 2016}} The scammers operate by placing disturbing official-sounding calls to unsuspecting citizens, threatening them with arrest and frozen assets if thousands of dollars are not paid immediately, usually via gift cards or money orders.{{cite web|title=IRS Urges Public to Stay Alert for Scam Phone Calls|url=https://www.irs.gov/uac/IRS-Urges-Public-to-Stay-Alert-for-Scam-Phone-Calls|website=IRS|date=October 21, 2015|access-date=28 March 2016}} According to the IRS, over 1,029,601 Americans have received threatening calls, and $29,100,604 has been reported lost to these call scams as of March 2016.{{cite web|title=IRS: Over $29 Million Lost in Fraud Phone Scams|url=http://kdvr.com/2016/03/11/irs-over-29-million-lost-in-fraud-phone-scams/|date=March 11, 2016|access-date=28 March 2016}} The problem has been assigned to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.{{cite web|title=IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting|url=https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml|website=Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration|access-date=28 March 2016}} Studies highlight that most victims of these scams are aged 20-29 years old and women are more affected than men. One way to decrease the risks of an individual falling victim to IRS impersonation scams is through awareness programs.{{Cite book |last1=Datta |first1=Priyanka |last2=Panda |first2=Surya Narayan |last3=Tanwar |first3=Sarvesh |last4=Kaushal |first4=Rajesh Kumar |chapter=A Technical Review Report on Cyber Crimes in India |date=March 2020 |title=2020 International Conference on Emerging Smart Computing and Informatics (ESCI) |chapter-url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9167567 |pages=269–275 |doi=10.1109/ESCI48226.2020.9167567|isbn=978-1-7281-5263-9 |s2cid=221280189 }}
The scammers often request payment in the form of gift cards such as Google Play or iTunes cards, wire transfer, MoneyGram, or credit card.{{Cite web|url=https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-scamsconsumer-alerts|title = Tax Scams / Consumer Alerts | Internal Revenue Service}}
{{As of |September 2017}}, several people from India have been arrested for impersonating IRS employees.{{cite news | title=2017 TNT 182-6 TAX CRIME ROUNDUP | date=21 September 2017 }}
The United Kingdom
Variations on this scam have targeted British taxpayers, pretending to be from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Sometimes the scammers use telephone calls, sometimes SMS text messages, and sometimes emails. Versions include:
- The scammers threaten a lawsuit by HMRC to recover money allegedly owed.{{citation|url=http://www.taxvol.org.uk/scam-warning-phone-message-threatens-hmrc-lawsuit/ |title=Scam Warning: Phone message threatens HMRC lawsuit |date=22 July 2016 |publisher=Tax Volunteers|access-date=2 September 2018}}{{citation|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/scammers-claiming-hmrc-targeting-people-14771786 |title=Scammers claiming to be from HMRC targeting people by phone |date=12 June 2018| first1=Joshua |last1=Knapman| publisher=Wales Online|access-date=2 September 2018}}
- The scammers tell people that they are due a tax rebate, and use this to trick them into disclosing their account and personal details.{{citation|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hmrc-warns-on-tax-refund-scams |title=HMRC warns on tax refund scams |date=9 May 2018 |publisher=HM Revenue & Customs |access-date=2 September 2018}}
Canada
Another variation similarly targets Canadians by impersonating the Canada Revenue Agency and utilizing aggressive fear tactics, with at least 60,000 Canadian residents filing complaints from 2013 to 2018.{{cite web| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/cra-phone-tax-scam-marketplace-1.4830141| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180921080901/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/cra-phone-tax-scam-marketplace-1.4830141| archive-date = 2018-09-21| title = 60,000 Canadians have complained about the CRA phone scam — but Indian police say Canada isn't asking for help {{!}} CBC News}}
Malaysia
Variations of this scam are common in Malaysia, where they are known as 'Macau scams'. In addition to posing as tax agents, these scams can involve fraudsters posing as police officers or bank workers.{{Cite web |date=2022-01-26 |title=Big phish: how Asia's cyber scammers stay one step ahead of the banks |url=https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3164690/ocbc-phishing-macau-scam-how-cyber-criminals-singapore-and-hong |access-date=2024-01-13 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}
Response by companies
In response to a modus operandi by scammers where they coax victims into buying prepaid cards or gift cards for online services, companies such as Apple, along with the Federal Trade Commission, have posted advisories warning customers over the illicit use of gift cards by scammers, and not to give out the code to anyone they do not know.{{cite web|url=https://support.apple.com/itunes-gift-card-scams|title=iTunes Gift Card Scams - Official Apple Support|work=Apple Inc.|access-date=28 September 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2016/05/scammers-push-people-pay-itunes-gift-cards|title=Scammers push people to pay with iTunes gift cards|last=Herbert|first=Amy|date=10 May 2016|work=Federal Trade Commission|access-date=28 September 2018}} Retailers and supermarkets have also followed suit by putting up similar warnings on prepaid and gift card sections.{{cite news|url=https://www.freep.com/story/money/personal-finance/susan-tompor/2016/09/21/irs-itunes-federal-student-tax/90686230/|title=New scam: Student puts $1,762 on iTunes cards to pay IRS|last=Tompor|first=Susan|date=21 September 2016|work=Detroit Free Press|access-date=28 September 2018}} Amazon has also warned of the dangers of these scams by advising customers not to use Amazon.com Gift Cards for payment outside of Amazon or its affiliated properties and not to use gift cards for other retailers and brands outside of the intended brand.{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/giftcardscams/b?ie=UTF8&node=15435487011|title=Amazon.com Gift Card Scams|work=Amazon.com|access-date=1 May 2021}} Google Play has also published a similar warning on their website.{{cite web|url=https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/9057338?hl=en|title=What to do if you're a victim of a gift card scam|work=Google Play|access-date=1 May 2021}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y5z0kWgBcM|website=youtube IRS primer video]
- [https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-scamsconsumer-alerts IRS Tax Scam Consumer Alert]
- {{cite web|url=https://time.com/7021745/the-age-of-scams/|title=Welcome to the Golden Age of Scams|author=Semuels, Alana|magazine=Time|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=September 18, 2024|archive-date=September 18, 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240918173146/https://time.com/7021745/the-age-of-scams/}}
{{Scams and confidence tricks}}
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