Original post: What Does the IRS Scam Sound Like?

How to Spot an IRS Phone Scam

What does the IRS Scam sound like? Listen to this recording of a typical voicemail and hear for yourself.

People all over the country have been victimized by these calls. I received this one on my home phone and it is a little different from typical IRS (Internal Revenue Service) Scam calls, Normally, a live person threatens to have them arrested if they don’t pay “back taxes and penalties” using a prepaid card.

This call:

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• Was made by a robo-caller instead of a live person.
  
• Used a computerized voice. This is often done to disguise the caller and eliminate background noise that could give clues about the scam artists.
  
• Advised that the IRS is initiating a lawsuit against me.
  
• Provided a “202” area code return phone number instead of a toll-free number.  202 is the area code for Washington D.C. and could trick the recipient into believing the call was made from an actual government agency.
  

The IRS has information on its website about this widespread scam and steps that citizens can take to avoid it and report it. This scam has become so pervasive that they have frequently repeated the warning with updated information on new variations as they develop.

As we provide crime prevention information, we can make sure to highlight and mention this type of scam. Most people will never fall prey to it if they recognize the key points listed in the IRS attachment. This scam may also come by way of email as well as phone call so we need to remind our audience that the IRS will never call or email them without notifying them by mail first. With just a little bit of warning we can keep our people from falling victim to this scheme.

Source: Crime Prevention HQ - Your Headquarters for Cybercrime and Social Media Resources for Crime Prevention Providers