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Staying Safe From ‘IRS’ Call Scams
The IRS Will Not Call You Out of the Blue.
We want to be clear: an unsolicited, unexpected phone call claiming to be the IRS is almost certainly a scam. The IRS’s typical first contact is a letter delivered by the U.S. Postal Service—not a phone call, text, or social media message.
If the IRS calls you, they will only do so after sending a written notice through the U.S. Postal Service. Even then, they will not demand immediate payment, threaten arrest, or insist on unusual payment methods like gift cards or wire transfers. They also won’t leave robocalls with urgent threats.
If you receive an “IRS” call you didn’t expect:
Hang up: Do not engage, provide personal details, or call back the number. Scammers routinely spoof caller ID to look official, so do not continue the call even if your phone says it is the IRS.
Verify safely: If you’re concerned, you can ask whether the call was legitimate by calling the IRS at a published number (e.g., 800‑829‑1040) found on IRS.gov. Additionally, you can check your files to see if you’ve received a letter communication from the IRS. If you haven’t, the call is almost assuredly a scam.
Red flags that it’s a scam:
Threats of arrest or deportation.
Demands for immediate payment.
Requests for payment via gift cards, wire transfers, or crypto.
Pre‑recorded (“robocall”) threats.
Outreach via text, email, or social media you didn’t authorize.
These are all red flags. None of these align with IRS procedures, this is not how the IRS will contact you.
Bottom line for our members and community: Expect mail first and treat any unprompted call claiming to be the IRS as suspicious and scam likely. When in doubt, stop, verify, and report. That calm, methodical approach protects your identity, your money, and our institution.
Report the scam: To report a scam you can submit a report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If you’ve received a phishing text or email, forward it to phishing@irs.gov and then delete it.
You can also look to the IRS annual “Dirty Dozen” list of tax scams. It’s worth a quick read each filing season.
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