IRS: Scammers using more sophisticated methods

Scam artists are using increasingly sophisticated methods to trick taxpayers into believing they’re from the IRS, the agency said Thursday. 

The scammers’ new tricks include changing a taxpayers’ caller identification, making it appear that they’re actually calling from the IRS or an agency like the Department of Motor Vehicles. 

{mosads}Other methods include faking IRS letterhead and giving out actual agency addresses for taxpayers to mail a receipt for payments provided by debit card.

“Scam artists specialize in being deceptive and fooling people,” John Koskinen, the IRS commissioner, said in a statement.

The agency added in its new warning that the common thread among all the scammers’ methods is attempting to capitalize on taxpayers’ fears through threats and other tactics.

Return fraud has been growing as a problem in recent years, with the Treasury inspector general for tax administration reporting that some 4,000 victims have lost more than $20 million.