CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Historically, the IRS has not used the telephone to collect taxes, relying primarily on written correspondence, but as a result of recent changes to the law, your telephone may soon ring and the caller will inform you that he is an IRS employee.

Here are two recent developments that will help you understand what is going to happen:

On December 4, 2015, President Obama signed a new law requiring the IRS to use private tax collectors. As a result of the new law, private debt collectors will begin calling taxpayers in the near future. Then on February 2, 2016, the IRS issued a notice titled “Phone Scams Continue to be a Serious Threat to Taxpayers”. The IRS listed phone scams as the top problem on its “Dirty Dozen” scams for the 2016 filing season.

Identifying Scams

Knowing how to tell if you are talking with a con artist or an IRS employee will protect you from being scammed.

Scam artists often use threats to intimidate and bully their victims. They may threaten to arrest you, immediately seize your property or revoke your driver’s license. As part of the scam, the person may demand immediate payment. Then the scammer will tell you that if you pay the debt today with a Green Dot card or Western Union Moneygram that he can stop the arrest or seizure.

In some cases, the caller asks the victim for his or her social security number and then uses the information to commit other crimes. But you can take some simple steps to protect yourself. Unlike the IRS, a scammer is unlikely to know your social security number. He or she wants your number and will ask you to confirm your social security number. Don’t do it. If you did not place the call, do not tell the caller your number.

The new law prohibits private debt collectors from calling taxpayers in the following situations:

1. Pending or active offers in compromise;
2. Pending or active installment agreements;
3. Innocent spouse cases;
4. A deceased taxpayer;
5. Victims of identity theft; and
6. Matters that are currently in examination, litigation or criminal investigations.

Here are some indications that you are speaking with a legitimate private tax collector:

1. You have received a letter from the IRS asking you to pay back taxes.
2. You know that you owe the IRS back taxes.
3. The IRS will not demand immediate payment.
4. The IRS will offer an installment plan in certain circumstances.
5. If you are in doubt about whether the call is legitimate, you can call the IRS at
800-829-1040 for help.

Private debt collectors are subject to the Federal Fair Debt Collection Laws, which prohibit direct payments to the collection agency. Never send a private tax collector any checks or money orders. If you are going to pay all or a portion of your tax debt, make the check payable to the “United States Treasury” and mail it to the IRS not the private debt collector.