IRS Trouble Solvers™ Reminds Taxpayers to be Vigilant of “IRS” Scams, Especially as It Relates to the Elderly

Posted on August 20, 2018

IRS Trouble Solvers™ reminds all taxpayers to be vigilant of “IRS” scams, especially as it relates to the elderly. “IRS” scams come in many forms, but the typical one is where an unsuspecting taxpayer receives a phone call from the “IRS” and is threatened with immediate arrest and/or deportation if money is not immediately paid to the scammer. Frequently, the intended victim of the scam does not have any unfiled tax returns or unpaid liability due to the IRS. However, the victims often make payments to the scammer because of their fear of being arrested or deported. If the scammer finds an individual that has unfiled tax returns or unpaid liability, that individual is even more likely to pay money to the scammer because of fear and their mistaken belief that they are dealing with the real IRS. Individuals that are particularly vulnerable, especially the elderly, are easy targets for the “IRS” scammers. I received a telephone call today from the daughter of two elderly individuals who were scammed out of over one million dollars by an “IRS” scammer. If you have elderly parents, we urge you to sit down with them to talk about their financial situation, to implement financial safeguards and, particularly, to talk about “IRS” scams and how to protect themselves from these scams. Once the money is paid to the scammers, especially if they are out of the country, it is difficult or impossible to recoup any of those funds.