irs-phone-scamFive suspects were arrested and charged in Miami, Florida for impersonating Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents, according to J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).

“These arrests indicate that TIGTA is making significant progress in our investigation of the IRS impersonation scam that continues to sweep the country, resulting in reported taxpayer losses of more than $36 million, averaging more than $5,700 in losses per taxpayer,” the Inspector General said. “The scammers are relentless and so are we,” he added. “Our investigators will not rest until we have brought each individual involved to justice.”

These criminals pretending to be IRS agents threatened to arrest victims who failed to pay their alleged back taxes and other fees. According to TIGTA, these five suspects are responsible for about $2 million in schemes that conned over 1,500 victims.

Remember that no Internal Revenue Service official will request payments via MoneyGram, Western Union, or any other money wiring method, for any debt owed to the IRS or the Department of the Treasury. If you receive a fraudulent call, hang up and file a report on the “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” page.