IRS Tax Tip: Watch Out for Gift Card Scam (IRC §7803)

Taxpayers should beware of an increasingly common scam where a fake IRS agent asks them to pay a phony tax bill by purchasing gift cards, the IRS advised. Typically the scammer calls a taxpayer to say their identity has been stolen and used to open fake bank accounts, and tells the taxpayer to buy gift cards from various stores and await further instructions, and later tells them to provide the gift cards’ access numbers. The IRS stated that it doesn’t call taxpayers to demand immediate payment using a specific method without the opportunity to question or appeal, and doesn’t threaten ...