During tax season it isn't just the government looking to collect. Our Susan Jhun has an alert about a common scam circulating design to prey on tax payers.
When Alberto Rodriguez from Cobble Hill received a call, supposedly from the IRS, he said he was "curious and concerned at the same time."
"They stated that I owed over like fourteen hundred bucks for underpayment of taxes," Rodriguez said.
At first, the call was convincing enough, he said.
"The guy was citing legal codes and asking me not to interrupt him and so I was like 'Oh, this might be legit.'"
That was until the caller asked for immediate payment of the back taxes, which made Rodriguez suspicious, so he hung up.
"I checked the number and it popped up for some suspicious activity in the past so then I went on to the Better Business Bureau and reported the number so that obviously other people can be aware of this," he said.
Reports like these are compiled by the Better Business Bureau on its scam tracker, a resource that identifies and alerts consumers about different scams.
"Since the beginning of 2016, we’ve had a 600% increase in reported scams related to the IRS or the Department of Treasury," said Claire Rosenzweig, President and CEO of BBB Metro New York.
"The IRS might mail you something first," Rosenzweig said. "But there is always due process. There’s always a chance for you to ask questions and appeal. And nobody would ever call from the IRS demanding money, through either pre-paid debt cards, or wire transfers. It just doesn’t work that way."