Beware, phone scams are on the increase

Scams are nothing new. They had them in biblical times, they had them during the Great Depression, and they have them today.

The current ones, however, sometimes are so sophisticated it's difficult to tell when you're the intended victim of one.

Joe Claeys, for example, reports that his household was targeted by a telephone scam that has been reported popping up around the country.

Your phone rings and the caller says "Hello, Grandma?" (or Grandpa.) You respond, "Bobby?" or whatever your grandchild's name may be. The scammer then knows your grandchild's name and proceeds as if that is who is calling.

"I'm in Florida and I had a bad car accident," the scammer goes on. "I need $400 to get home. Can you give me a credit card number I can use to get a ticket? I'll pay you back when I get home"

At this point, some people are so concerned that a family member is in trouble they immediately try to do the kind thing and fork over their credit card number. Remember, as we age not everyone is as alert as you. But ...

Bam! The scammers have you -- and can charge up large numbers of purchases as well as withdraw cash from your credit account.

That's not the only phone or e-mail scam going on, of course. Julie Jason, who writes the "Retire Secure" column for the Times Union, had a fascinating report published today under the headline "This is your big chance to tell an 'IRS agent' to take a hike." It deals with a variety of scams.

Here it is: 

 By JULIE JASON

If you get a call from the Internal Revenue Service telling you that you owe taxes that must be paid right away, it may be a scam. 

The caller may provide you with his name and IRS badge number, as well as the last four digits of your Social Security number.

You may even see the caller ID on your phone show an IRS 800 number. Software called "spoofing" does that trick. The software disguises the caller's real phone number and replaces it with another. It can be purchased complete with background noise to make the call sound as if it is coming from a call center.

If on such a call you don't agree to make a payment immediately by prepaid debit card or wire transfer, you may be threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver's license.

Don't be surprised if the next call you see on your caller ID identifies the incoming call as being from your local police department.

You may even get an e-mail from "the IRS" supporting the bogus calls. If you do, do not open any attachments or click on any links in the message. Instead, forward the e-mail to phishingirs.gov.

A legitimate IRS contact will be by mail, not by email or by phone, said IRS spokeswoman Peggy Riley. Neither does the IRS send emails, texts or other electronic communications through social media. Plus, the IRS would not ask for confidential information, such as PINs or passwords to access credit-card, bank or other financial accounts, said Riley.

What if you do owe taxes or think you might? Don't engage the caller. Instead, hang up and call the IRS yourself at 800-829-1040. You can get the information you need to address any underpayment directly from IRS officials.

 Call the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at (800) 366-4484 to report the scam. You also can go to its website.

You also may get a letter in the mail or a fax from "the IRS" that is phony. If you get a letter that you suspect is not legitimate, contact the IRS by calling 800-829-4000.

You can see a sample of a faxed "IRS" letter that requested a business to submit banking information. The fax was an official-looking IRS letter that said: "As of January 2011, Internal Revenue Service requires all businesses to submit full bank account details for all operating bank accounts maintained by them. Our records show that your business had not provided us with this information."

To see the fax, go here.

 Other tax scams include fictitious claims for refunds, such as promises of refunds for "Low Income — No Documents Tax Returns," and even offers of free money from the IRS. For a list, see IRS Urges Taxpayers to Avoid Becoming Victims of Tax Scams, and Don't Fall Prey to the 2011 Dirty Dozen Tax Scams.

You also can watch a video on the subject offered in English and Spanish, which you can link by going here.

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