Scam artists get $20 million on fake IRS calls

Sure, many of us just hang up on those annoying callers who claim to be from the IRS or the Treasury Department. But somebody's falling for those scams.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration released some updated numbers to indicate that more than 4,000 victims have lost more than $20 million collectively since October 2013 as a result of tax-related scams.

The Internal Revenue Service issued another warning on Thursday to consumers to remain on alert against an "ever-evolving array of deceitful tactics" that scammers are using relating to taxes.

Schemes can occur over the phone, emails or through letters with authentic-looking letterhead, the IRS said. The scammer strategy can be to trick taxpayers into giving personal information for ID theft or scare people so much that they hand over money and make a false tax payment that ends up with the criminal.

The IRS said there's an emergence of new variations of the tax scams. I reported in July that many consumers had seen an uptick in calls, particularly robocalls, demanding money this summer.

"Scam artists specialize in being deceptive and fooling people," said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen in a statement.

In a new variation, the IRS said, the scammers alter what appears on your telephone caller ID to make it seem like they are with the IRS or another agency such as the Department of Motor Vehicles. They use fake names, titles and badge numbers.

What consumers need to understand is that con artists can get a boatload of information about you in advance before making a call so that the caller can sound much more authentic.

Con artists are using online resources to get your name, address, and other details about your life to make the call sound official, according to the IRS.

"They even go as far as copying official IRS letterhead for use in email or regular mail," the IRS said.

And there are threats: Threats of a police arrest if you don't hand over a prepaid debit card, threats of deportation.

Consumers can report incidents to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.