In April, I warned that you can’t pay your tax bill with iTunes gift cards. Some of you must have heeded that warning a little too literally. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) has announced that it has received additional information that callers are impersonating Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or Treasury Department employees are now demanding payments not only on iTunes Gift Cards but on other gift cards as well. Scam callers may also request payment of taxes on Green Dot Prepaid Cards, MoneyPak Prepaid Cards, Reloadit Prepaid Debit Cards, and other prepaid credit cards. I feel like I have shouldn’t have to say the next part, but these are fraudulent calls.
TIGTA has issued another reminder that any call requesting that taxpayers place funds on an iTunes Gift Card or other gift cards to pay taxes and fees is an indicator of fraudulent activity! That’s their exclamation point (in fact, all of the bolded text is attributable to TIGTA) but I share their sentiment.
TIGTA also reminds you that no legitimate United States Treasury or IRS official will demand that payments via Western Union, MoneyGram, bank wire transfers, or bank deposits be made into another person’s account for any debt to the IRS or Treasury. I’ll add that you shouldn’t respond to requests to pay your tax liability in NFL trading cards, gift certificates to Olive Garden or the Cheesecake Factory, airline frequent flyer points, Kylie Jenner lip kits, or pie (no matter how delicious). And just a few more: you won’t be asked to pay in Walmart gift cards, Disney Express passes, bolero ties, gift certificates to the Panda Express or Chewbacca masks.
If you’re wondering how you can actually pay your tax bill, check out these options (spoiler alert: you won’t see any gift certificates or gift cards in the list).
If you receive one of these calls, TIGTA advises you to simply hang up and go to the TIGTA scam reporting page to report the call.
No, really. Hang up. You’re not going to accomplish anything by engaging with the scammers – trust me.
Remember that the IRS has previously confirmed they will not:
- Call to demand immediate payment over the phone, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you several bills.
- Call or email you to verify your identity by asking for personal and financial information.
- 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.
- Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone or email.
- Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.