Federal Manager's Daily Report

While the IRS has been migrating tax filing to electronic formats in part for security reasons, a recent warning from the agency shows that even in that format, government services are the target of scammers.

Taxpayers have long been victimized scammers who represent themselves as IRS agent and who demand immediate payment, a scheme that has now migrated into targeting those who file their taxes through the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, or EFTPS.

“In the latest twist, the scammer claims to be from the IRS and tells the victim about two certified letters purportedly sent to the taxpayer in the mail but returned as undeliverable. The scam artist then threatens arrest if a payment is not made through a prepaid debit card. The scammer also tells the victim that the card is linked to the EFTPS system when, in fact, it is entirely controlled by the scammer. The victim is also warned not to contact their tax preparer, an attorney or their local IRS office until after the tax payment is made,” an announcement said.

It said that regardless of how taxpayers file their return, the IRS will never call to demand immediate payment, threaten to immediately bring in law enforcement, demand payment without an opportunity to question or appeal an amount owed, ask for credit card or debit card numbers over the phone, or use email, text messages or social media to discuss personal tax issues.