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
810-235-2791106/10/2021 11:53 am
201-259-3211105/27/2021 12:25 pm
800-208-3539105/19/2021 7:46 am
289-624-4285205/08/2021 5:09 pm
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
647-600-8102102/02/2021 7:56 am
519-572-4365101/20/2021 8:00 am
604-839-3694101/19/2021 2:21 pm
587-298-6858101/05/2021 2:37 pm
780-902-6962112/15/2020 3:27 pm
647-270-5739112/10/2020 7:32 pm
250-710-4738111/10/2020 1:23 pm
512-618-1846111/10/2020 11:36 am
647-524-6324111/03/2020 10:22 am
201-877-5857110/26/2020 7:35 am
860-334-5336110/01/2020 10:52 am
613-909-1386109/26/2020 6:35 am
647-718-3669109/22/2020 10:27 am
586-303-4568108/21/2020 11:03 am
416-909-0449108/20/2020 12:15 pm
204-396-6560108/14/2020 10:48 am
631-257-0534108/13/2020 10:51 am
581-999-3542108/07/2020 1:48 pm
323-320-6443108/06/2020 8:11 am

What states have the most IRS scam calls?

Country State # of Reports Most Recent Report
USANew York38602/19/2021
USACalifornia37604/05/2021
CanadaOntario 14705/08/2021
USATexas14411/10/2020
USAWashington11712/04/2019
USAFlorida7709/13/2019
USANew Jersey6505/27/2021
USAPennsylvania5512/04/2019
USAWashington DC5309/04/2018
USAColorado5106/25/2020
USAGeorgia4805/03/2019
USANorth Carolina4707/04/2020
USAOhio4403/15/2021
USAIllinois4301/22/2019
USAVermont3312/06/2018
USAVirginia3205/07/2019
USAMissouri3211/05/2019
USAArizona3008/23/2018
USAMassachusetts3011/22/2018
USAMaryland2810/03/2019
USAKentucky2708/18/2018
USAMichigan2606/10/2021
USANew Mexico2609/23/2016
USALouisiana2604/02/2018
USAMinnesota2409/27/2018
USATennessee2207/12/2018
USAOregon2103/25/2021
CanadaBritish Columbia 2001/19/2021
USAAlabama1906/30/2017
USANorth Dakota1909/19/2016
USAWisconsin1709/06/2017
CanadaQuebec 1608/07/2020
USAIowa1503/26/2019
USAOklahoma1505/26/2017
USAIndiana1412/14/2018
USAMaine1309/23/2016
USASouth Carolina1305/02/2017
USANevada1103/23/2020
1105/19/2021
USAKansas1010/05/2018
CanadaAlberta 801/05/2021
CanadaManitoba 703/11/2021
USADelaware703/27/2019
USAUtah701/07/2019
USANew Hampshire707/29/2016
USAMississippi601/23/2018
USAConnecticut610/01/2020
USAWest Virginia609/17/2018
USAArkansas611/20/2018
CanadaNewfoundland508/22/2019
USANebraska307/06/2018
USASouth Dakota303/23/2021
USAMontana305/15/2018
USAHawaii208/24/2016
CanadaSaskatchewan 206/14/2017
USARhode Island109/21/2018
USAAlaska106/09/2016

Recent IRS Scam Comments

810-235-2791

June 10, 2021 11:53 am

Robo call claiming to be from the IRS and that my Social Security number was compromised and may be suspended. And "you need to talk to the officer concerned". I held the line to tell them they need to be in jail, but it hung up before anyone got on the line.

Caller Type: IRS Scam

201-259-3211

May 27, 2021 12:25 pm

Robo-Call claiming to be from the Federal government threatening "legal action" if I failed to contact their "Concern Department."

Caller or Company: United States Government

Caller Type: IRS Scam

800-208-3539

May 19, 2021 7:46 am

Tax resolution company. Sends correspondence that looks like it is from the government, but is a private company.

Caller Type: IRS Scam

289-624-4285

May 8, 2021 5:09 pm

249-517-2990 , * 289-624-4285 * 647-354-2063 *sexual pedophlle SCAMMER ! of software and stolen laptop in THORNHILL , ONTARIO that changes his 3 phone numbers weekly..ON Kijiji,..He a 70 year old loser in life, that is a major scammer and a con-artist and he use to be a bank safe polisher for many years in the 1970’s. ( Go figure )His teeth are falling out and his Breath smells like Cat Food and Rotting Cabbage .. He has major B.O. that attaches to you and his apartment smells like Cheese Foot and Armpits..Ray also has hepatitis C / H.I.V and has recently tested positive for ( COVID-19 ) a few times. He’s a pathological liar and a RECENTLY CONVICTED REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER IN THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO( For fellatio & buggery of a mentally challenged 5 year old German boy in a basement of a well known Catholic Church in TORONTO ) * check it out * HES A OVERWEIGHT DIABETIC AND LIVES IN THORNHILL,ONTARIO IN GOVERNMENT HOUSE * HE LIVES WITH A DEMONIC WITCH *AND THEY BOTH COLLECT DISABILITY CHEQUES ?..?..HIS UNIT IS INFESTED WITH COCKROACHES, BEDBUGS AND FIELD MICE . HE HAS UNKNOWN DRIED BLOOD & STOOL SKID MARKS ON HIS COUCH ,AND TO TOP THINGS OFF HE HAS HOMOSEXUAL PORNOGRAPHY OF SURFER TYPE MUSCULAR YOUNG BOYS ENGAGING IN SEXUAL ACTS ON THE TELEVISION..THIS COUPLES APARTMENT IS A VIRUS TRAP.

Caller Type: IRS Scam

289-624-4285

May 2, 2021 6:44 pm

289-624-4285 * 647-354-2063 * sexual pedophile & Scammer of free SOFTWARE off THEPIRATEBAY his fake company is Terabyte Computer Services L1X 0A3 loves to rape & eat the rear ends of 5 year old little church boys. and rapes little girls..Further more this guy sexual abuses his own daughter and posted and sold pictures of her on the internet. This ugly man can not get a proper job so he cons his customers by selling them free downloadable software from (The Pirate bay), by first using (BITTorrent )Come summertime his sear

Caller Type: IRS Scam

323-388-3861

April 5, 2021 3:09 pm

I do wish I had boobs. Poor guy needed a rack. What annasshole

Caller or Company: Fat sucker

Caller Type: IRS Scam

503-265-3572

March 25, 2021 11:33 am

Caller I.D. said "U.S. Gov", then they asked for a name that doesn't live at this number.

Caller Type: IRS Scam

605-223-6105

March 23, 2021 10:19 am

Said was from IRS, NOT

Caller or Company: IRS NOT

Caller Type: IRS Scam

419-351-8755

March 15, 2021 12:09 pm

Middle Eastern female stating she has an arrest warrant for me through the United States FBI.

Caller Type: IRS Scam

204-391-3390

March 11, 2021 11:53 am

threatening legal action posing as government agency .

Caller or Company: unknown

Caller Type: IRS Scam

734-943-1861

March 3, 2021 12:52 pm

I R S scam

Caller Type: IRS Scam

585-441-4614

February 19, 2021 3:33 pm

SS scare = BS !

Caller or Company: SS

Caller Type: IRS Scam

647-600-8102

February 2, 2021 7:56 am

Revenue canada scam

Caller Type: IRS Scam

519-572-4365

January 20, 2021 8:00 am

Service Canada to arrest me

Caller or Company: Service Canada

Caller Type: IRS Scam

604-839-3694

January 19, 2021 2:21 pm

Revenue Canada fraud call.

Caller Type: IRS Scam

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