Rep. Engel: Be Mindful of Phone Scams During Tax Season

Statement

Congressman Eliot Engel, a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, wants to remind constituents to be on the lookout this tax season for phone scammers who call looking for personal or financial information, especially when claiming to be from the government.

"Tax season is stressful enough without having to worry about someone trying to scam you over the phone," Congressman Engel said. "These phone scammers prey on anxiety and fear, often by posing as government officials calling with promises of additional refund money, so long as the individual provides them with personal information or a credit card number. Others may pose as IRS agents who claim the agency requires additional money to make up for wrongly filed tax returns. Those who receive such calls should not divulge any personal information and report the phone number to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) immediately.

"Recently, my office has been alerted to calls being made claiming to be from the U.S. government. They say that by sending $250 you will receive a $9000 government grant. Please remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

According to the FTC, there are several red flags to look out for when spotting phone scams, such as -- but not limited to -- the examples below. If you hear the following lines, be extremely careful when discussing personal information:

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