The IRS Phone Call Scam Explained

What is the IRS phone call scam?

Someone calls you claiming they work for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and you owe the back taxes or they are asking for your Social Security Number (SSN). This is a scam to try and extort money from you or a phishing attempt to try and steal your identity. The IRS will NEVER call you out of the blue stating you owe back taxes or ask for your personal information. The IRS will only send notices of back owed taxes through the mail and it will come on official letterhead.

The caller will say they are someone with an official title like "Officer" and claim you are going to be sued, you have a warrant for your arrest, your property will be seized, freeze your bank accounts, your wages will be garnished or a lien/judgement will be placed against you. They will tell you any number of scary things trying to get you to do what they say. The caller could have a thick sounding accent or use broken english as most of these scammers are not even located in the United States. They will tell you they can make it all go away for a "one-time" payment of a specific amount of money payable to an account they specify. Often they will tell you to pay them in gift cards or pre-paid credit cards, most of which are untraceable.

Beware because, in addition to trying to extort money from you, they are often also after your Social Security Number or personal information for which they will use to steal your identity. Whatever you do, do not pay them or give them any of your information!

What should I do when I get a call?

Stay calm and resist the pressure to act quickly. Get their information and then tell the caller you will call them back, but DO NOT call the number they called you from. They will probably yell and threaten you for even asking for their information. Ignore them and insist they give you their information. If they don't give you their info, you can assume it is a scam and hang up on them. If they did give you their information, call the official IRS number at 1-800-366-4484 to validate if the caller was really from the IRS. In nearly all cases, you're going to find that it wasn't a real call from the IRS.

If you feel threatened, call your local police department and file a police report.

What can you to help stop this?

  1. Report the phone number to the IRS. They have a special website setup just for this. You can find it here: TIGTA
  2. Search for the phone number on CallReceived.com and report the number here as well, as we're keeping track of the phone numbers these scammers are using.

IRS Phone Numbers

Per the IRS website:

Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, unless otherwise noted. Residents of Alaska and Hawaii follow Pacific time. Puerto Rico phone lines are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time.

Individuals:
1-800-829-1040

Businesses:
1-800-829-4933

See their contact page for more detailed information: IRS Telephone Contact
You can also contact your local IRS office by using this form: Find Your Local IRS Office

How many reports do you have about the IRS scam in the last 12 months?

We created this chart so you can see the volume:

What phone numbers have been reported recently?

Phone Number # of Reports Most Recent Report
866-446-0070108/03/2022 4:20 pm
425-308-16581907/14/2022 6:27 pm
630-809-9614103/21/2022 11:49 am
647-281-4940103/02/2022 8:05 am
647-281-9363103/02/2022 8:04 am
289-624-4285307/27/2022 9:19 am
866-659-0002112/29/2021 11:42 am
289-624-5300112/18/2021 12:06 pm
647-354-2063112/17/2021 11:19 am
423-284-1324110/07/2021 1:38 pm
808-740-0096109/27/2021 2:16 pm
604-313-2369109/02/2021 12:54 pm
425-425-8537108/03/2021 2:36 pm
765-331-1713107/31/2021 2:20 pm
859-533-5987107/21/2021 4:00 pm
514-752-6698106/29/2021 11:52 am
604-366-9412106/26/2021 3:29 pm
604-347-8653106/21/2021 3:20 pm
604-349-7180106/21/2021 3:18 pm
662-997-0530106/17/2021 7:28 am
810-235-2791106/10/2021 11:53 am
201-259-3211105/27/2021 12:25 pm
800-208-3539105/19/2021 7:46 am
323-388-3861104/05/2021 3:09 pm
503-265-3572103/25/2021 11:33 am
605-223-6105103/23/2021 10:19 am
419-351-8755103/15/2021 12:09 pm
204-391-3390103/11/2021 11:53 am
734-943-1861103/03/2021 12:52 pm
585-441-4614102/19/2021 3:33 pm

What states have the most IRS scam calls?

Country State # of Reports Most Recent Report
USANew York38602/19/2021
USACalifornia37604/05/2021
CanadaOntario 15207/27/2022
USATexas14411/10/2020
USAWashington13707/14/2022
USAFlorida7709/13/2019
USANew Jersey6505/27/2021
USAPennsylvania5512/04/2019
USAWashington DC5309/04/2018
USAColorado5106/25/2020
USAGeorgia4805/03/2019
USANorth Carolina4707/04/2020
USAIllinois4403/21/2022
USAOhio4403/15/2021
USAVermont3312/06/2018
USAVirginia3205/07/2019
USAMissouri3211/05/2019
USAArizona3008/23/2018
USAMassachusetts3011/22/2018
USAKentucky2807/21/2021
USAMaryland2810/03/2019
USANew Mexico2609/23/2016
USALouisiana2604/02/2018
USAMichigan2606/10/2021
CanadaBritish Columbia 2409/02/2021
USAMinnesota2409/27/2018
USATennessee2310/07/2021
USAOregon2103/25/2021
USANorth Dakota1909/19/2016
USAAlabama1906/30/2017
CanadaQuebec 1706/29/2021
USAWisconsin1709/06/2017
USAOklahoma1505/26/2017
USAIndiana1507/31/2021
USAIowa1503/26/2019
USASouth Carolina1305/02/2017
1308/03/2022
USAMaine1309/23/2016
USANevada1103/23/2020
USAKansas1010/05/2018
CanadaAlberta 801/05/2021
USAMississippi706/17/2021
CanadaManitoba 703/11/2021
USADelaware703/27/2019
USAUtah701/07/2019
USANew Hampshire707/29/2016
USAConnecticut610/01/2020
USAWest Virginia609/17/2018
USAArkansas611/20/2018
CanadaNewfoundland508/22/2019
USAMontana305/15/2018
USANebraska307/06/2018
USASouth Dakota303/23/2021
USAHawaii309/27/2021
CanadaSaskatchewan 206/14/2017
USARhode Island109/21/2018
USAAlaska106/09/2016

Recent IRS Scam Comments

866-446-0070

August 3, 2022 4:20 pm

Left me a message saying: "Yes, this is Lisa Wilson. I'm calling from the employee refund department. Today is August the 2nd. I've been assigned your case because your business is eligible under the cares act to receive up to $26,000 for every employee. You retained during the pandemic. Give me a call at your earliest convenience so we can go over your refund options. I can be reached at 866. 446-0070. Thank you."

Caller Type: IRS Scam

289-624-4285

July 27, 2022 9:19 am

647-354-2063 and 289-624-4285---S E X U A L--- OFFENSER--- MAJOR SCAMMERS on Facebook MarketPlace and kijiji from TOORONTO ONTARIO PIRATED SOFTWARES AND STOLEN LAPTOP SELLER-

Caller Type: IRS Scam

425-308-1658

July 14, 2022 6:27 pm

Scam Robert Ray jr. 404 122nd St. southwest Everett Washington

Caller or Company: irs scam

Caller Type: IRS Scam

425-308-1658

July 12, 2022 12:43 am

Robert Ray jr. Taylor 404 122nd St. southwest Everett irs scam

Caller or Company: irs scam

Caller Type: IRS Scam

425-308-1658

July 12, 2022 12:42 am

Robert Ray jr. Taylor 404 122nd St. southwest Everett Washington

Caller or Company: irs scam

Caller Type: IRS Scam

425-308-1658

July 12, 2022 12:41 am

Robert Ray jr. Taylor 404 122nd St. southwest Everett irs scam

Caller or Company: IRS scam

Caller Type: IRS Scam

425-308-1658

July 12, 2022 12:41 am

Robert Ray jr. 404 122nd St. southwest Everett Washington

Caller or Company: IRS scam

Caller Type: IRS Scam

425-308-1658

July 12, 2022 12:40 am

Robert Ray jr. 404 122nd St. southwest Everett Washington irs scam

Caller or Company: IRS scam

Caller Type: IRS Scam

425-308-1658

July 12, 2022 12:37 am

Robert Ray jr.

Caller or Company: IRS scam

Caller Type: IRS Scam

425-308-1658

July 12, 2022 12:36 am

Robert Ray jr. Taylor 404 122nd St. southwest Everett Washington

Caller or Company: IRS scam

Caller Type: IRS Scam

425-308-1658

July 12, 2022 12:36 am

Robert Ray jr. Taylor 404 122nd St. southwest Everett Washington

Caller or Company: IRS scam

Caller Type: IRS Scam

425-308-1658

July 12, 2022 12:35 am

Robert Ray jr. Taylor 404 122nd St. southwest Everett Washington

Caller or Company: IRS scam

Caller Type: IRS Scam

425-308-1658

July 12, 2022 12:35 am

404 122nd St. southwest Everett Washington Robert Ray jr.

Caller or Company: IRS scam

Caller Type: IRS Scam

425-308-1658

July 12, 2022 12:34 am

Robert Ray jr. 404 122nd St. southwest Everett Washington irs scam

Caller or Company: IRS scam

Caller Type: IRS Scam

425-308-1658

July 12, 2022 12:33 am

Robert Ray jr. 404 122nd St. southwest Everett Washington

Caller or Company: IRS scam

Caller Type: IRS Scam

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