Please share this information with your clients.
If the IRS does call a taxpayer, it should not be a surprise because the agency will generally send a notice or letter first. Understanding how the IRS communicates can help taxpayers protect themselves from scammers who pretend to be from the IRS with the goal of stealing personal information.
Here are
some facts about how the IRS communicates with taxpayers:
- The
IRS doesn't normally initiate contact with taxpayers by email. Do not
reply to an email from someone who claims to be from the IRS because the
IRS email address could be spoofed or fake. Emails from IRS employees will
end in irs.gov.
- The
agency does not send text messages or contact people through social media.
Fraudsters will impersonate legitimate government agents and agencies on
social media and try to initiate contact with taxpayers.
- When
the IRS needs to contact a taxpayer, the first contact is normally by
letter delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. Debt relief firms send
unsolicited tax debt relief offers through the mail. Fraudsters will often
claim they already notified the taxpayer by U.S. mail.
- Depending
on the situation, IRS employees may first call or visit with a taxpayer.
In some instances, the IRS sends a letter or written notice to a taxpayer
in advance, but not always. Taxpayers can search IRS notices by visiting Understanding Your IRS Notice or Letter.
However, not all IRS notices are searchable on that site and just because
someone references an IRS notice in email, phone call, text, or social
media, does not mean the request is legitimate.
- IRS
revenue agents or tax compliance officers may call a taxpayer or tax
professional after mailing a notice to confirm an appointment or to
discuss items for a scheduled audit. The IRS encourages taxpayers to
review, How to Know it’s Really the IRS Calling or Knocking on Your Door: Collection.
- Private
debt collectors can call taxpayers for the collection of certain
outstanding inactive tax liabilities, but only after the taxpayer and
their representative have received written notice. Private debt collection
should not be confused with debt relief firms who will call, send lien
notices via U.S. mail, or email taxpayers with debt relief offers.
Taxpayers should contact the IRS regarding filing back taxes properly.
- IRS
revenue officers and agents routinely make unannounced visits to a
taxpayer’s home or place of business to discuss taxes owed, delinquent tax
returns or a business falling behind on payroll tax deposits. IRS revenue
officers will request payment of taxes owed by the taxpayer. However,
taxpayers should remember that payment will never be requested to a source
other than the U.S. Treasury.
- When
visited by someone from the IRS, the taxpayers should always ask for
credentials. IRS representatives can always provide two forms of official
credentials: a pocket commission and a Personal Identity Verification Credential.