Impostor alert
'Pay Now or You'll Be Arrested': The Fake IRS Calls Are Back
The FTC is warning about a surge in calls from people posing as IRS agents and demanding immediate payment for supposed back taxes.
The caller sounds official. They give a badge number. They say you owe back taxes, and that if you don't pay today, police will come to your home, your driver's license will be suspended or your property will be seized.
The Federal Trade Commission has warned about a surge in exactly these calls.
The scammers use threats of arrest, license suspension or property seizure to create panic.
They demand payment immediately, through wire transfers, gift cards or cryptocurrency.
Why it's obviously fake once you know
The real IRS doesn't work this way. It doesn't demand immediate payment by gift card or crypto, and it doesn't threaten to send police to arrest you for not paying on the spot. If you genuinely owe taxes, you'll normally hear about it by mail first and you'll have the chance to question or appeal the amount.
Impostor scams of all kinds — fake government agents, fake banks, fake relatives — were the most-reported fraud in America in 2025, with more than one million reports.
What to do
- Hang up. Don't give any personal or payment information.
- If you're worried about a tax bill, check your account directly at IRS.gov.
- Never pay anyone with gift cards. Gift cards are for gifts, not government debts.
- Report the call at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.