IRS Sends Out Warning About Scam Phone Calls In Oklahoma

The IRS is sending out a warning. A sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers across the country now has phones ringing across Oklahoma.

The calls are very pervasive, and for those who actually owe the IRS, it can be alarming.

People are being threatened with arrest, deportation, suspension of business licenses, and even legal action.

"Don't disregard this message and do return the call before we take any legal allegations against you. Good bye and take care," said the automated recording.

"I have no reason to be hearing from the IRS," said Jack Bjerk, OKC resident.

Bjerk was caught off guard earlier this week by the automated message from who he thought was the IRS.

"The issue at hand is really time sensitive. My name is Officer Heather Gray from the Internal Revenue Service," said the recording.

It didn't take long for Bjerk to realize it was a scam.

"I'm thinking that I ought to let somebody know about it so that they can pass the word on to somebody else," said Bjerk.

IRS spokesperson Lea Crusberg says the agency has been warning of this scam since last October and now it's spreading to our state.

"This is not the IRS calling you. If you're going to hear from the IRS, it's going to be the old fashioned way first, which is by mail," said Crusberg. "They're mimicking a call center, so it sounds legitimate, and I could understand why a tax payer would be a little apprehensive."

Bjerk says he simply didn't recognize the number.

"We found out that it was from Washington, D.C. I say, I don't know anybody there," said Bjerk.

If you have received a fake IRS call, you should file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

Click here for more information on this scam.