IRS telephone scams, remote-working risks and VPNs for tax pros

Has this happened to you? A caller, claiming to be from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), rings you in the middle of the day. Apparently, you need to settle a tax-related charge, or you’ll be taken to jail. You’re the target of a typical IRS telephone scam. (See Worried About the IRS Scam? Here’s How to Handle Phone Fraud, by Christine Hauser, The New York Times, July 26, 2018.)

Ways to identify IRS telephone scams

IRS telephone scams have been around for years. In a 2018 alert, the IRS informed taxpayers about ways to spot fraudulent telephone scams by fraudsters impersonating IRS officials.

The scam artists’ scripts vary, but they typically mention that the recipient of the call has a refund due or might threaten them by demanding money. Regardless of the script, the main intention of the scam is to get individuals to unload their personally identifiable information (PII) so the criminals can use it for fraudulent purposes. When the IRS wants to discuss personal tax issues, it doesn’t use email, text messages or any social media to contact taxpayers.