IRS does not phone citizens to accuse, but scammers do

Question: I think I got a scam call from the number 202-697-9197. It was supposed to be a call from the IRS in Washington, D.C., saying this was the final notice about a criminal lawsuit against me.

Have other people had calls like this?

Answer: If you just do an Internet search on that number, you’ll find numerous references to it, all pointing out that it’s linked to scammers.

But it’s not the only number used.

We continue to get queries from readers who have received threatening phone calls, purportedly from the IRS.

As we reported in January 2014 (bit.ly/1RQGaPU) and as the IRS continues to warn, the agency does not contact taxpayers directly by phone or email to request personal or financial information or to notify them about an audit, refund or investigation. It also does not send text messages or use social media to do so.

On Thursday the IRS issued another alert about the phone scams, warning that the scammers also have started mailing or faxing falsified forms, notices and letters to taxpayers.

“The bottom line is if you receive an unexpected call, fax or letter claiming to be from the IRS, contact the IRS directly,” said IRS spokesman David Tucker. “Call our toll-free number, 800-829-1040, to see if the IRS is really trying to contact you.”

Earlier this year the IRS said threatening phone calls from IRS impersonators remain on its annual “Dirty Dozen” list of tax scams, with scammers threatening police arrest, deportation, license revocation and other actions.

They are able to alter caller ID numbers to make it look like the IRS is calling, and use fake IRS badge numbers and names.

In January the IRS said the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration had received reports of about 290,000 bogus contacts since October 2013 and of nearly 3,000 victims who paid more than $14 million to the scammers.

The IRS listed five things it says the scammers will do that it will never do:

» Call to demand immediate payment or call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.

» Demand that you pay taxes without allowing you first to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.

» Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.

» Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

» Threaten to bring in police to arrest you for not paying.

For more information on reporting tax scams, go to www.irs.gov and type “scam” in the search box.

Tucker also provided a link to a “Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft,” which offers tips to protect your personal information: 1.usa.gov/1pCHrk3.

Question: I thought a yellow double solid line means not to cross, so why is it that going east on South King Street, just past University Avenue, everyone turns left into businesses, causing a backup of cars during afternoon rush hour? Is it legal to cross over a double yellow solid line?

Answer: It’s legal unless there is a sign that prohibits it, according to the Honolulu Police Department.

Section 291C-38 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, which deals with “longitudinal traffic lane markings,” says a double solid yellow line is “used to indicate the left edge of a traffic lane where overtaking and passing on the left is prohibited. The crossing of a solid yellow line by vehicular traffic is prohibited except when the crossing is part of a left turn movement.”

We explained many of the lane markings previously: bit.ly/1CeRqUG.

Mahalo

To the HPD officers who recently checked for speeders along Pahoa Avenue near Waialae School. Because of children’s safety, I have long been concerned about and angry at drivers who use the street like it was the H-1 freeway. These lead-foot lolo should wake up before they take a child’s life. — Dave Manu Bird

Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.