«You owe the IRS»
How it sounds
«You owe back taxes. Pay today with gift cards or you will be arrested.»
The trick
The IRS sends letters first and never asks for gift cards, crypto or a wire transfer.
What to do
- Never pay a government bill with gift cards.
- Hang up and call the IRS at the number on irs.gov.
For families: Government impersonation scam calls, with real cases and official numbers.