The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office issued an IRS scam alert and want the public to know a few things that that IRS will not do.

According to a release, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has been receiving reports regarding scammers calling taxpayers claiming to be IRS officials demanding payment for bogus tax bills. People have also received “urgent” callback requests through phone calls or emails. The release said thousands of people have lost millions of dollars and personal information to these tax scams.

The IRS will not:

• Call you to demand immediate payment.
• Demand that you pay taxes and not all you to question or appeal the amount you owe.
• Require that you pay your taxes a certain way.
• Ask for your credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
• Threaten to bring in police or other agencies to arrest you for not paying.

If you received one of these calls:

• Do not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
• Contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to report the call. Use their “IRS Impersonating Scam Reporting” webpage. You can also call 800-366-4484
• Report it to the Federal Trade Commission.

By — Malaak Khattab

News Reporter