IRS: Make your clients aware of gift card scams

Gift cards are popular year-round, not just at the holidays. The IRS warns that taxpayers should be aware of gift card scams and take steps to protect themselves. Scammers may target taxpayers by asking them to pay a fake tax bill with gift cards. People should remember that the IRS never asks for or accepts gift cards as payment for a tax bill.

The IRS doesn’t initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information. To verify it’s the IRS, go to IRS.gov and verify the form or visit the Let Us Help You page to verify tax information with self-service options.

Common schemes

Scammers are always changing their tactics. Recently, the IRS has seen scammers:

• Request gift cards over the phone through a government impersonation scam or by sending a text message, email, or social media message.
• Pose as an IRS agent and call the taxpayer or leave a pre-recorded voicemail stating they are linked to some criminal activity.
• Threaten or harass the taxpayer by telling them that they must pay a fictitious tax penalty.
• Instruct the taxpayer to buy gift cards from various stores.
• Pressure the taxpayer to buy gift cards, then ask the taxpayer to provide the gift card number and PIN.

Who’s calling

Here’s how taxpayers can tell it’s really the IRS calling. The IRS will never:

• Call for immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a gift card, prepaid debit card, or over social media.
• Demand a taxpayer pay “or else.”
• Threaten to bring in law enforcement or immigration officers to have the taxpayer arrested for not paying.
• Take a taxpayers citizenship status, driver’s license, or business license.

Identity theft actions

Any taxpayer who suspects they’ve been the victim of a scammer should:

• Visit Identity Theft Central page of IRS.gov for next steps.
• Contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to report a phone scam, and use their IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting webpage or call 800-366-4484.
• Report phone scams to the Federal Trade Commission with the FTC Complaint Assistant on FTC.gov, and add “IRS phone scam” in the notes.