Is it a scam? How to know if the IRS is really calling

IRS scams are everywhere, bilking people out of thousands of dollars and fraudulently obtaining their personal information.

Phone scams are big during tax season. The thing to remember is that the real IRS will never:

* Call to demand immediate payment using something like a prepaid debit card, gift card, or wire transfer. If the IRS wants money from you, they will send a letter first. It won’t come as a surprise.

* Threaten you. The IRS will never say they are going to bring police or any other kind of law enforcement personnel to arrest you.

* Demand tax payments without offering you the opportunity to appeal or even ask for details about the demand.

* Call you about a tax refund. They might write to you, but they won’t call you first.

If you receive such a call, note the number and hang up. You can report the scam at treasury.gov/tigta/reportcrime_misconduct.shtml