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Loveland Police Issue Warning About IRS Scam

LOVELAND, Colo. (CBS4)- Police in Loveland are warning residents about an IRS scam who is targeting people in that area.

Police say the man identifies himself as an employee of the U.S. Treasury Department claiming the person he called owes the IRS money. The man then tells the person that if they don't make immediate payment they will be arrested and brought before a judge.

In one case from Wednesday, an employee of a local money transfer store told police that a man came into the store with cash to make a transfer. The man was still on the phone with the person claiming to be the Treasury agent when he arrived at the store.

The money transfer employee called 911 and one of the dispatchers convinced the man not to transfer the money and sent a police officer to talk to him.

The IRS has released this checklist to determine whether a supposed IRS caller is a fake:

Here are five things the scammers often do but the IRS will not do. Any one of these five things is a tell-tale sign of a scam. The IRS will never:

  1. Call to demand immediate payment, nor will we call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
  2. Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
  3. Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
  4. Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
  5. Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here's what you should do:

  • If you know you owe taxes or think you might owe, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040. The IRS workers can help you with a payment issue.
  • If you know you don't owe taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1.800.366.4484 or at tigta.gov.
  • You can file a complaint using the FTC Complaint Assistant; choose "Other" and then "Imposter Scams." If the complaint involves someone impersonating the IRS, include the words "IRS Telephone Scam" in the notes.

Remember, too, the IRS does not use unsolicited email, text messages or any social media to discuss your personal tax issue. For more information on reporting tax scams, go to www.irs.gov and type "scam" in the search box.

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