{"id":74811,"date":"2016-03-28T00:02:37","date_gmt":"2016-03-28T05:02:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=74811"},"modified":"2016-03-27T22:20:32","modified_gmt":"2016-03-28T03:20:32","slug":"ohio-a-g-receives-more-tax-scam-reports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2016\/03\/28\/ohio-a-g-receives-more-tax-scam-reports\/","title":{"rendered":"Ohio A-G receives more tax scam reports"},"content":{"rendered":"

VW independent\/submitted information<\/em><\/p>\n

COLUMBUS — Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine warns that his office is receiving more reports of IRS imposter scams as the April 18 tax filing deadline approaches.<\/p>\n

\"Ohio
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since March 1, the Ohio Attorney General\u2019s Office has logged nearly 1,000 reports of the scam, compared to about 500 reports in February.<\/p>\n

The scam generally begins with a call claiming the recipient is in trouble with the IRS and must call a certain phone number for more information. Eventually, the person is asked to provide money or personal information, supposedly to resolve the problem or avoid jail time.<\/p>\n

\u201cScam artists do this every single day, and we\u2019re seeing even more of it right now,\u201d Attorney General DeWine said. \u201cThey\u2019ll call you, tell you how much you owe, and tell you to wire money or go buy a prepaid card and give them the numbers. They rely on people being so afraid that they agree to do this right away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although most consumers who contact the Ohio Attorney General\u2019s Office about tax-related phone scams haven\u2019t lost any money, nationally the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration reports that since October 2013 more than 5,500 victims collectively have paid about $29 million as a result of the scam.<\/p>\n

To avoid IRS phone scams:<\/p>\n