Schaumburg police warn of phony IRS scam

Schaumburg police are warning of a potential scam involving people posing as IRS agents and seeking payment on taxes not owed.

Authorities said several residents reported receiving calls from the IRS seeking bogus tax payments.

Those calls are a scam, authorities said through a news release Monday, noting that the IRS will not call people seeking payments.

Phone scam victims may be told they owe money that must be paid immediately to the IRS, authorities said, or that the potential victims are entitled to big refunds.

Other characteristics of these scams include using fake or common names or surnames to identify themselves, be able to recite the last four digits of a victim's Social Security number, and "spoof" the IRS toll-free number on caller ID, authorities said.

After threatening victims with jail time or driver's license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or Secretary of State.

Scammers also will send bogus IRS emails to victims in conjunction with the calls.

Authorities said IRS agents will never ask for credit card, debit card, or prepaid card information over the telephone, never insist that taxpayers use a specific payment method to pay tax obligations, and never request immediate payment over the telephone.

They also will never take enforcement action immediately following a phone conversation, and tax payers usually receives prior notification of IRS enforcement action involving tax liens, authorities said.

People who receive a phone call should call the IRS at (800) 829-1040, where someone can discuss payment issues with you.

People are also urged to report any such calls to the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at (800) 366-4484.