Tag: American

IRS Scam Calls Area Codes Like 202, 315, 470…

With emergent technologies, people have become more advanced in their fraudulent activities. The practical manifestation of this statement is IRS calls scam that erupts every yeasr in the USA. Now, up to a huge extent, people have become well-aware of the working of these fake call holders, but still, there is a huge number of people that fell prey against the fake calls from the IRS.

In this post, we will let you know how these fake call holders make a fool of people and ask them for money. Besides, we will also relate the certain area codes like 202, 206, and 315 that are often used to make these fake calls.

Before we proceed to the main topic, it appears inevitable to let you know about the full scenario of these IRS Scam Calls.

What are IRS Scam Calls?

Internal Revenue Services (IRS) is an American department that deals with the matters of taxes in the USA. This department was founded in 1862, and now all responsibilities related to the collection of taxes and enforcement of tax laws lie on the shoulder of the IRS. But, unfortunately, some evil-minded people have started looting public in the name of this department.

This whole scamming started in the recent decade when some unknown people started making calls to different people and introduce themselves as a representative talking on behalf of the IRS. Their target is American Taxpayers that have the respect of this institution in their minds. But, these unauthorized people made calls and threatened taxpayers with arrest and frozen of their assets.

As of a result of these fake calls, people have lost money worth $29,100,604 only in 2016, which is truly a big number, and unfortunately, an encouraging number for the looters. On the other hand, IRS states that 1,029,601 threatening calls were made by the looters only in 2016.

The scammers often call different people in public and ask them for payment in the form of gift cards, such as iTunes Card or Google Play, Money Gram, or credit cards. In the wake of continuously increasing events of fraud, this issue had been handed over to Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Up till now, a huge number of Indians have been arrested in the charges of impersonating IRS Employees. 

So, this is how the whole fake calls games started.

Most Targeted Areas, Hit by Scammers, and their Codes

Now, the second most important thing is to know about the exact procedure they follow to make people fool. According to Hiya, a smartphone app that offers protection for the user from spam calls, IRS impersonating phone calls have gained much speed, 1218% more incidents were reported of IRS impersonating calls in 2017-2018. 

Can you pick that this is an impersonated IRS call?

According to Hiya, the scammers, whenever they call you, use fake caller IDs spoofing to show their numbers as the number of IRS. But this is not the same all the time. Moreover, according to Hiya, the following are the area codes where tax scams are more prominent;

1. 202, Washington DC

2. 470, Atlanta

3. 206, Seattle

4. 315, Up-state New York

5. 314, St; Louis, Missouri

6. 631, Central and East Long Island, New York

7. 786, Miami

8. 415, San Francisco

9. 646, New York City

So, these are the area codes where scammers appear to be the most alert. If you come across such a call, don’t fall for it because IRS is a highly professional and well-reputed department, and it never reaches out to people in this way. 

How Do Scammers Persuade You?

According to the IRS, scammers may have considerable information about you, and they can use it in persuading you to send them money they demand from you. They often ask you about the refunding of taxes; in return, you provide them with the secret information of your account. This is how the scammers proceed;

• Scammers use fake names, numbers, and badges to get them identified as IRS employees. 

• Scammers mostly know about the last four digits of your social security number, and use this trick to persuade you.

• Scammers use the technique of spoofing through which your mobile screen shows that the call is either coming from the IRS or another security agency of the USA. 

• Scammers often send fake emails to support their stance. They narrate in their fake calls. 

• To make sure that scammer is calling from the IRS, it is set up that victim hears a lot of noise from the background. 

• In the last step, scammer warns you from dire consequences in the form of cancelation of its licenses and freezing of assets. However, if you don’t act upon scammers’ directions, the call will be cut, and soon you will see the name of law enforcement agency calling on your mobile phone. Once you pick up the call, these fake law enforcement agents would again try to scare you. 

So, these were the techniques that scammers use. If any individual receives such a dramatic call, don’t be afraid and report it to the authority.

What Have You To Do If You Don’t Owe Taxes?

If you don’t owe taxes and receive such a scamming call, you have to follow these instructions;

• Please report that Call to IRS, or you may also register to complain in Treasury related fraudulent calls. Leave your mail here phishing@irs.gov.  

• Don’t provide the caller with any information. 

• Report to Federal Trade Commission about these scam calls by clicking here.  

• Make a Call to this number 800-366-4484.

What Have You To Do If You Owe Taxes?

If you owe taxes and receive any scammer’s call, follow the given instructions;

• Make a call to IRS at  800-829-1040. 

• Go and check the history of the taxes you have paid, as you can check the history of the past 24 months from the site. 

Whether you receive IRS scam calls from area code 202, 314, or any other code, don’t trust, as you have known their targeting approach.