Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) is warning 13th District residents against new waves of scams trying to take people’s money. 

Criminals are using several different schemes to extort money from innocent people. The scams include:

• Emails that demand immediate payment of tax debts;
• Letters that threaten to turn the recipient over to a collection company or report them to a credit agency unless they immediately pay for some item they have purchased, often medical equipment; and
• Calls or emails that use personal information taken from social media, such as the names of family members, to invent stories of medical emergencies or arrests that require immediate payment.

“People from our area have come to me with all of these types of scams just within the last week. While many of them seek to take advantage of older citizens, everyone should be alert for these and other creative attempts by criminals to obtain money,” Thornberry said.

In one of the most common IRS scams, criminals call or send emails to the victims and identify themselves as Department of the Treasury or IRS officials. They claim that the victim owes money to the IRS and that they must pay the balance immediately using a credit card, pre-paid debit card, or wire transfer. They threaten punishment, including arrest or suspension of a business or driver’s license if the debt is not paid immediately. The scammers may also use fake badge numbers and use phone numbers with a 202 Washington area code.

“People should be are aware of this scheme before they become victims themselves. We also want them to know how important it is to report instances like this so these criminals can be found and prosecuted,” Thornberry added.

The IRS generally first contacts people by mail – not by phone – about unpaid taxes and will not ask for payment using a pre-paid debit card, a money order, or a wire transfer. The IRS also will not ask for a credit card number or your bank information over the phone. If you get a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS asking for a payment or your credit card or bank account information, report it by going to treasury.gov/tigta. There is an online form you can fill out or you can call their scam hotline at 800-366-4484.

“If someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from the IRS or in a new twist, the Treasury Department, and uses the threat of legal action if you do not pay immediately, that is a sign that it is not the IRS calling, and your cue to hang up,” Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George said. “Again, do not engage with these callers. If they call you, hang up the telephone.”

The IRS will also never request personal or financial information by e-mail, text, or any social media. You should forward scam e-mails to phishing@irs.gov. Do not open any attachments or click on any links in those e-mails.

Reporting these incidents helps in the following ways according to the Department of the Treasury: 

• Providing the call-back number can lead to arrests.
• It builds an evidentiary trail.
• Telephone numbers are shut down.
• Scam attempts are cataloged.

More information can be found at the Department of the Treasury’s website here: https://www.treasury.gov/services/report-fwa/Pages/ReportFWA.aspx