Help Me Hank: Beware of fake IRS agents

Why you should be alert before the holidays

The stories are similar: Someone claiming to be with the IRS or the federal government calls you and says you owe money, or you'll face legal action.

Westland couple Robert and Barbara Hunter began receiving the intimidating calls in mid-October.

"They're gonna take your house, they're gonna take your car, they're gonna put you in jail," Robert Hunter said.

"It doesn't matter who, or how old you are,  you're scared period," Barbara Hunter said.

The complaints come into the Help Me Hank consumer unit constantly. Paul and Jeanie Kurily of Livonia called in May, after they were pestered for months. 

"I would say over the past two to three months we've probably gotten 10 to 5 of these calls," Paul Kurily said.

What to know

  • The real IRS does not call you on the phone out of the blue. Most of the time, the tax agency will contact you via U.S. mail. 
  • Real agents will not threaten you or demand immediate payment.      
  • As with any scam, do not give in to their demands during that first call.
  • If you think there's any valid reason for the IRS to call, take the time to verify the claims by calling the IRS at a number you trust.
  • Do NOT call the numbers the potential scammers leave during a message or any numbers they offer during a conversation.
  • Never give anyone money or personal information during an unsolicited phone call. Make it a standing policy that you need 24 hours to consider and investigate any claims.

A seasonal email threat

Most of the complaints to Help Me Hank focus on the fake IRS phone calls, but local IRS spokesman Luis Garcia said toward the holidays he sees a threat popping into many email inboxes.

"It's just like the scam you've heard about where they call you on the phone, this one is they're coming at you through your email account," Garcia said.

He said you might spot poor grammar or misspellings in the emails, but the notices can look very official. And, they can lead you to fake websites that seem to be from the IRS, but they are not. Once again, Garcia warns the IRS does not reach out to people via unsolicited emails as the first point of contact.

"If you get an email that looks to be from the IRS, don't click on anything, don't download anything, don't open any documents, there's usually malware involved," Garcia said.

He also said the email contact usually spikes before the holidays and again as we head into tax season. 

Luckily, the two couples in this story didn't fall for the scam, but they're hoping to warn all of you. Local 4 has done stories about local people who've lost thousands of dollars.