IRS to Taxpayers: We Don't Send Cops to Homes Don't be fooled by people calling to have you arrested immediately because you owe taxes; it does not work that way.

Following the emergence of new variations of widespread tax scams, the Internal Revenue Service Friday issued another warning to taxpayers to remain on high alert and protect themselves against the ever-evolving array of deceitful tactics scammers use to trick people.

These schemes – which can occur over the phone, in e-mails or through letters with authentic looking letterheads – try to trick taxpayers into providing personal financial information or scare them into making false tax payments that end up with the criminal.

It is important to remember the official IRS website is IRS.gov.

Taxpayers are urged not to be confused or misled by sites claiming to be the IRS but ending in .com, .net, .org or other designations instead of .gov.

Taxpayers should never provide personal information, financial or otherwise, to suspicious websites or strangers calling out of the blue.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) has received reports of roughly 600,000 contacts since October 2013. TIGTA is also aware of more than 4,000 victims who have collectively reported over $20 million in financial losses as a result of tax scams.

“We continue to see these aggressive tax scams across the country,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said.

“Scam artists specialize in being deceptive and fooling people. The IRS urges taxpayers to be extra cautious and think twice before answering suspicious phone calls, emails or letters.”

Below are five things scammers often do that the real IRS would never do:

The IRS will never:

· Angrily demand immediate payment over the phone, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.

· Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

· Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.

· Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.

· Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

Here’s what you should do if you think you’re the target of an IRS impersonation scam:

· If you actually do owe taxes, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you with a payment issue.

· If you know you don’t owe taxes or do not immediately believe that you do, you can report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at1-800-366-4484.

· If you’ve been targeted by any scam, be sure to contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their FTC Compliant Assistant at FTC.gov. Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments of your complaint.

For more information on reporting tax scams, go to IRS.gov and type “scam” in the search box.