Windsor Life
Page 16
IRS Warns Taxpayers of Summer Surge in Automated Phone Scam Calls
NEW BOOKS
"Duty of Honor" by Tom Clancy
"First Comes Love" by Emily Griffin
"Foreign Agent" by Brad Thor
"The City of Mirrors" by Justin Cronin
"The Games" by James Patterson/Mark Sullivan
"The Pursuit" by Janet Evanovich
“Girl in the Spider’s Web” by David Lagercrantz
“Here’s to Us” by Elin Hilderband
New books at the Windsor Gardens Library include titles on the bestseller lists. Look for them in the glass cases or put reserves on them with library
volunteers between
12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m
., Monday through Friday. The open shelves hold an extensive selection of books (regular, large print and
paperbacks) which may be borrowed anytime during the day. Videos, jigsaw puzzles and audio books are available as well. DVDs are also found in the
glass cases and may be checked out.
CHECK IT OUT @ WG LIBRARY
“Highwayman” by Craig Johnson
“Magic” by Danielle Steel
“The Scandal” by John Grisham
WG AUTHORS BOOK READINGS
Join us for Book Readings, wine and cheese and meet five of Windsor
Gardens' resident authors on Wednesday, September 14, at 4 p.m. in
CenterPoint. Please sign up for this free event at the Activities Desk.
For more information about the authors and their work, please see
page 24.
On August 2, 2016, the Internal Revenue Service issued a warning
to taxpayers to stay vigilant against an increase of IRS impersonation
scams in the form of automated calls and new tactics from scammers
demanding tax payments on iTunes and other gift cards.
The IRS has seen an increase in “robo-calls” where scammers leave
urgent callback requests through the phone telling taxpayers to call
back to settle their “tax bill.” These fake calls generally claim to be the
last warning before legal action is taken. Once the victim calls back,
the scammers may threaten to arrest, deport or revoke the driver’s
license of the victim if they don’t agree to pay.
“It used to be that most of these bogus calls would come from a live
person. Scammers are evolving and using more and more automated
calls in an effort to reach the largest number of victims possible,” said
IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “Taxpayers should remain alert
for this summer surge of phone scams, and watch for clear warning
signs as these scammers change tactics.”
Scam tactics
In the latest trend, IRS impersonators are demanding payments on
iTunes and other gift cards. The IRS reminds taxpayers that any
request to settle a tax bill by putting money on any form of gift card is
a clear indication of a scam.
Some other examples of the varied scam tactics seen this year are:
•
Demanding payment for a “Federal Student Tax.”
•
Soliciting W-2 information from payroll and human resources
professionals.
•
“Verifying” tax return information over the phone.
•
Pretending to be from the tax preparation industry.
Since these bogus calls can take many forms and scammers are
constantly changing their strategies, knowing the telltale signs is the
best way to avoid becoming a victim.
The IRS will never:
•
Call to demand immediate payment over the phone, nor will
the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed
you a bill.
•
Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-
enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
•
Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity
to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
•
Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes,
such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer.
•
Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
What to do if you get a phone scam call:
If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and
asking for money and you don’t owe taxes, here’s what you should do:
•
Do not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
•
Contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
(TIGTA) to report the call. Use their
” web page or call 800-366-4484.
•
Report the call to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the
at their website: FTC.gov. Please
add “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.
If you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS directly at 800-829-1040.
Join the High Line Conservancy at the next round of community meetings concerning the future of the High Line Canal, scheduled for the
week of September 5. A draft of the initial, shared vision reached by residents through earlier community meetings will be presented, so that
the public may share their feedback and input.
Wednesday, September 7, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Kent Denver Dining Hall
Thursday, September 8, 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Green Valley Ranch Library
Thursday, September 8, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Westridge Rec Center
High Line Canal Draft Vision Plan to be presented at Community Meetings
