Scammers targeted thousands of Vermonters last year, and as tax day approaches (April 15) the assault is expected to become especially aggressive, according to Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan.
More than 4,000 Vermonters received fraudulent phone calls last year, Donovan said, and that number will likely climb by 25 percent.
The callers, he said, “are the worst of the worst, and it’s only going to get worse for the next two weeks.”
The scammers pretending to be Internal Revenue Service agents are the most common, Donovan said.
“If you get a call from someone claiming they’re from the IRS, hang up,” Donovan said.
Donovan made the remarks at a press conference held at Capstone Community Action, a Barre nonprofit that helps low-income residents file taxes.
Efforts to reach the IRS were unsuccessful.
Christopher Curtis, the chief of consumer protection at the Vermont Attorney General’s office, said the IRS does not call taxpayers unexpectedly.
“You’re not going to receive a cold call from the IRS saying they recalculated the last six years of taxes,” Curtis said. “They do it in writing if it’s a legitimate issue.”
State Tax Commissioner Kaj Samson said state tax administrators do not call Vermonters except in rare instances in which the recipient anticipates the communication.
“Those people who would be having these discussions over the phone with the Vermont Department of Taxes know it and expect it,” Samson said. “We’ll never ask for your individual or confidential information, or ask for immediate payment.”
Samson said Vermonters should be suspicious if a caller says she or he is representing a state or federal tax agency. Signs of a probable scam include threats, approaching deadlines, urgency on the part of the caller, a request for information, and an unexpected call.
It’s worth asking questions of questionable callers, especially if they’re asking for money, Donovan said.
“And when you’re asking questions … trust your gut,” Donovan said. “These things fall apart pretty quickly” under questioning, he said.
“To hang up is always an option” as well, he said.
If a caller sounds suspicious, Samson said, hang up and dial the number where the caller said he or she is from. When calling back, use contact information listed on the agency’s website, he said.
As the tax filing deadline approaches, and as refund checks are issued, Samson said, “this is the perfect time for [scammers] to pounce on vulnerable Vermonters, and convince them they need to provide additional information to get those refunds.”
Vermonters who are called by scammers should report incidences, Samson said, and, if possible, write down who the caller says they’re with, and where they’re calling from.
Cheryl Willette received a fraudulent phone call March 24, she said, and with several people who identified themselves as IRS agents. The phony tax collectors gave her names and badge numbers, and phone numbers for return calls, she said.
Willette was told she owes the IRS $6,821 for taxes that went unpaid between 2010 and 2015, and was told she would be taken to court if she didn’t pay. She was told she could settle the matter by paying $200 immediately over the phone, Willette said.
By this point, Willette already become suspicious. Although the fake IRS agents told her they’d issue an arrest warrant if she hung up, she ended the call anyway and called an attorney.
The IRS scam, Donovan said, often results in Vermonters being threatened with lawsuits, jail time and other punishments.
“This is not just a scare, this is threatening behavior,” he said. “We’re not going to stand for this in this state.”
Donovan said he cannot comment on whether his office is currently investigating alleged phone scammers.
Donovan said he’s unaware of any successful prosecutions in Vermont against phone scammers in the past.
“Very few” of the cases are pursued, he said, because there is not much information to work with.
“You have to get past the [caller’s] identity, and that’s a hard nut to crack,” Donovan said.
The callers are most likely from outside of Vermont, and quite possibly outside the United States, he said.
State officials said personal vigilance is the best defense against IRS phone scams.
Legislators may give Vermonters help in this effort with S.72, Curtis said.
The legislation would require telemarketers to identify who they work for and to provide accurate contact information on caller ID.
The measure won’t catch scammers, Curtis said, but could help Vermonters tell the difference between legitimate businesses and scammers when they receive unsolicited calls.
