Up until recently, Georgia residents could be fairly certain that if someone was calling them in relation to a debt owed to the Internal Revenue Service, the individual calling was a scammer. However, a change made by the IRS in April 2017 means that debt collectors hired by the IRS may be calling people who owe money in an effort to collect unpaid taxes.
Per the Federal Trade Commission, people who may receive a call on behalf of the IRS are those with tax debts that are more than two years old. The IRS says that there are $400 billion in unpaid taxes each year, and this is an effort to help reduce those numbers.
Although the new program may make it harder for people to determine if a caller is a debt collector working with the IRS or someone attempting to run a scam, people should not receive legitimate calls with no warning. Individuals should have been notified of their debts by letter before they ever receive a call from a collector.
It’s important that people are able to tell when someone working with the IRS is legitimately reaching out to them in relation to an unresolved issue. If they do not come to an arrangement with the IRS or get tax issues sorted out, their wages may be garnished. People who have outstanding amounts that are owed to the Internal Revenue Service may want to meet with an experienced federal tax attorney to discuss whether seeking an offer in compromise would be advisable for their situation.