HIGH government impersonation
Is “does the irs call you about back taxes” a scam?
Yes — this is a known, dangerous scam.
Scammer impersonates an IRS agent claiming you owe back taxes or have an arrest warrant, demanding immediate payment by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency.
How to tell
- ⚠ The IRS always contacts people by mail first — never by unsolicited phone call
- ⚠ Demands immediate payment by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency
- ⚠ Threatens arrest, deportation, or license revocation
- ⚠ Caller ID may be spoofed to show 'IRS' or a Washington DC number
What to do right now
- 1 Hang up immediately — do not engage with the caller
- 2 Do not call back any number the caller gives you
- 3 If you genuinely think you owe taxes, call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040
- 4 If you installed any 'support' or 'server' or 'refund app' or remote-access app at the scammer's request (AnyDesk, TeamViewer, Quick Support, etc.), run free SeraphSecure (https://www.seraphsecure.com) to detect and remove it.
- 5 Report to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's IC3 at https://www.ic3.gov.
Was remote-access software installed?
If a scammer asked you to install AnyDesk, TeamViewer, Quick Support, or any remote-access app, your device may still be compromised.
Run SeraphSecure to detect and remove it →Full guidance, red flags, variants & official sources
IRS calling about your tax refund or arrest warrant →