Tax debt is something that many people face for one reason or another. Sometimes, the debt is the result of a divorce, whereas other times, it is a misunderstanding, poor financial advice, or even purposely not paying. No matter the reason, people have options for getting this kind of tax debt relief under control to avoid having credit destroyed and even worse, getting into legal trouble with the Internal Revenue Service or IRS.
While there are many qualified and reputable irs tax debt options, unfortunately, some people and companies prey on people in this situation with scams. One of the biggest and most convincing fraudulent acts is the person that calls the individual dealing with tax problems, pretending to be a collector from the Internal Revenue Service. This all started after the 2004 decision by the IRS to allow third-party debt collectors to find people delinquent and then collect.
When these fraudulent people call pertaining to tax debt, they work off a script that sounds so legitimate most people have no idea they are even being scammed. With so many people behind on taxes, the IRS had a good idea in getting help to collect money. However, what started out as something honest and legitimate has opened doors of opportunity for dishonest people.
These bogus tax debt collectors are nothing more than scam artists, people that accomplish one of two things. First, they get bank or credit card information from the people behind on taxes, collecting money that never goes to pay down or off the debt. Second, they use the personal and financial information obtained through aggressive tactics, actually performing identify theft that then puts this person in a bad position possibly for life.
The problem for people dealing with tax debt is that sometimes, they may get a call from a legitimate collector working for the IRS but the imposters are so good at what they do, telling the good from the bad is challenging. Because the problem of fake debt tax collectors has become so big, the Internal Revenue Service has now created a new program to help.
• Prior to an honest tax debt collector calling, the individual would receive a letter from the IRS stating that the account has been sent out for collections. In some cases, the collector’s name would also be provided. Therefore, if the individual receives a collection call without having first received the letter, no information should be provided and the call should be disconnected and ignored.
• If a tax debt collector requests a payment made with a personal check, the check should only be made out to the United States Treasury. If the collector advises the individual of anything else, this would be a huge red flag.