The City has recently received concerns regarding a local number making calls stating they are from the IRS. After researching this through the Attorney General's office, they confirmed the IRS has seen a surge of these phone scams in recent months as scam artists threaten police arrest, deportation, and license revocation among other threats. The IRS reminds taxpayers to guard against scams that arise during any filing season. Visit www.irs.gov (link provided below) to stay updated on the latest phone scams.

Things to watch for:

Scammers make unsolicited phone calls - The IRS makes contact with consumers via postal mail.

Callers try to scare their victims.

Scams use rig caller ID information to appear as if the IRS or local police department is really calling.

Scams demand payment by prepaid debit card or wire transfer. The IRS does not ask for either of these payment methods, nor will they ask for credit card numbers.

To PROTECT YOURSELF, do the following:

Do not provide any account or personal information --- hand up the telephone.

Never wire money to a person or company you do not know. Once you wire the money, you cannot get it back.

If you owe, or are unsure if you owe federal taxes, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. The IRS workers can help you with your payment questions. You may also visit the IRS website for more information.

Call and report the incident to The Treasury Inspector General for Taxpayer Administration (TIGTA) at 1-800-366-4484.

Forward scamming emails from the IRS to phishing@irs.gov. Do not open any attachments or click on any links in those emails.

File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at https://www.ftc.gov/complaint. Include "IRS Telephone Scam" in your complaint.