Every tax season — and increasingly year-round — scammers impersonate IRS agents and threaten Americans with arrest, deportation, or license revocation over supposed unpaid taxes. The calls are aggressive, official-sounding, and frightening. They are also always a scam.
The IRS will never call you demanding immediate payment. The IRS will never threaten arrest over the phone. The IRS will never demand payment by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency. If someone claiming to be from the IRS does any of these things — hang up immediately.
What the call sounds like
The caller identifies themselves as an IRS officer. They tell you that you owe back taxes and that a warrant has been issued for your arrest. You must pay immediately to stop law enforcement from coming to your home or workplace. They may know your name, address, and partial Social Security number — making them sound legitimate.
They then direct you to purchase gift cards (iTunes, Google Play, Amazon) and read them the card numbers and PINs. Or they may ask for a wire transfer to a "government account." Once the money is sent, it is gone.
How the real IRS contacts you
- Sends a written notice by mail first — always
- Gives you time to question or appeal any amount owed
- Never demands immediate payment without giving you a chance to review the bill
- Never requires a specific payment method
- Never threatens arrest for non-payment over the phone
- Never asks for credit card numbers, gift cards, or wire transfers over the phone
Why people believe it
Scammers use technology to make their caller ID show "IRS" or a Washington DC area code. They may already know your name and address from data breaches. The threat of arrest is terrifying and triggers panic — which is exactly what they want. People in a panic don't think clearly.
- Hang up immediately
- If you're worried you might actually owe taxes, call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040 — using the number you look up yourself, not one a caller gives you
- Report the scam at reportfraud.ftc.gov and irs.gov/phishing
- Never pay any debt by gift card — the IRS does not accept gift cards
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