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Beware, Durango, of the IRS tax-season scam

Jennifer Sadowski of Durango drops off her taxes in the drive-thru at the Durango post office in a previous tax season. Several Durangoans have been the target of an Internal Revenue Service scam this week. Call the IRS if you get threatening calls or demands for immediate payment over the phone.

Nothing can sink an American’s spirit more than a call from the Internal Revenue Service. After all, it’s the agency that brought down Al Capone after the FBI had failed.

So, Durangoans who have been receiving threatening calls from the IRS this week are rightly concerned.

Certified Public Accountant Caroline Chaplin said at least two of her clients have been targeted.

“They want money, and they’re threatening to send them to prison or have the sheriff come arrest them if they don’t send it,” she said.

The IRS says it does not call to demand immediate payment, require people to pay immediately with a specific method such as a prepaid credit card, ask for debit or credit card numbers over the phone or threaten to bring in law enforcement.

People who get a phone call purporting to be from the IRS and asking for money should:

Call 1-800-829-1040 if you know you owe taxes, or think you might, and an IRS staff member will provide assistance.

Report the call to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484 or www.tigta.gov, if you know you don’t owe taxes.

The scam is listed with additional information on the revenue’s website at www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Scam-Phone-Calls-Continue;-IRS-Identifies-Five-Easy-Ways-to-Spot-Suspicious-Calls.

abutler@durangoherald.com



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