Carr CPAs LLC

We took spot 30 of the top 50 places to live in the US (TIME). Congrats Rio Rancho!

Rio Rancho, New Mexico Is No. 30 on MONEY's Best Places to Live list See why Rio Rancho, New Mexico is one of the best places to live in the U.S.

I personally received one of these calls the other day, it made us at Carr CPAs think it might be time to help pass the word. Some sure fire tips to help prevent being scammed:

1. The IRS will almost always contact you with a "friendly" letter first! We suggest responding to these letters, even if you can't pay the balance immediately. If they have sent you multiple letters, they may well try calling eventually.
2. An IRS agent will never tell you to pay a balance due with any form of prepaid card. The IRS will accept payments by check, by credit card through third party payment systems, or through electronic withdrawal from a bank account. Anyone who tells you otherwise, should be seen as very suspicious.
3. There are very few, if any, cases where an agent will ever ask you to remit payment to them directly. This would never occur during the first conversation you have had with the agent.
4. If you ever think that someone is not who they say they are (and they claim to be an IRS agent), thank them for their time and say goodbye (if they are a revenue agent, it never hurts to be courteous), then immediately call the IRS directly at their main number (800-829-1040). They will be able to tell you immediately if you do in fact have a tax situation, and what you need to do to resolve it.
5. If you think you have been a victim of any tax fraud, contact TIGTA (treasury inspector general for Tax Administration). http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml . The only way the scammers can be stopped is if the authorities know that the scam is on going.

Fake IRS phone calls tops list of tax scams Scammers impersonating IRS agents are targeting the elderly and new immigrants threatening them with arrest, deportation or the loss of their driver's license. And the IRS says this scam is on the rise, topping its list of "Dirty Dozen" tax scams this year.