Deputies warn against IRS-impersonator telephone scams

Bonneville County deputies are warning residents to be cautious of telephone scams after a man almost lost thousands to an IRS impersonator.

Deputies said telephone scams may be an old method, but the variety of such scams is increasing.

“It seems like these people are picking different things, like jury duty evasion, tax collection, power or the fact that you haven’t paid your gas bill,” said Bonneville County Sgt. Jeff Edwards.

Edwards said it’s likely that con artists will make many calls this tax season in and attempt to cash in on people who may have once had a debt with the IRS.

“We get Middle Eastern dialect or we get people who state a common name, like Mike Brown or Jim Brown. They say that you haven’t paid your bill and a law enforcement officer is coming to your home to arrest you,” said Edwards.

According to the IRS website, the IRS will NEVER do the following:

1. Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.

2. Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.

3. Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.

4. Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

5. Threaten to bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

Idaho Falls resident James Taylor said he almost found out that information too late after an IRS impersonator called him and demanded money.

“I can’t believe that this happened to me, and I hope it doesn’t happen to other people too,” said Taylor. “They said they were from the Treasury Department from the United States of America and that the U.S. federal marshal was going to be at my door in the morning.”

The scammers told Taylor that he owed $3,400 in back taxes and told him he had only a few hours to pay it. He called the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, but deputies said there is only so much they can do in such situations.

“We cannot track these people most of the time because they’re using numbers that they switch on a regular basis,” Edwards said. “In addition, they’re basically in other areas of the country (or out of the country), so the opportunity for us to go and arrest them is not there.”