[AUDIO BELOW] An unsuspecting Lakewood resident who recently moved from Israel was caught off guard when an alleged IRS representative threatened him with arrest and imprisonment if he failed to pay thousands of dollars he allegedly owed.

The resident provided TLS with the approximately one-hour recorded phone conversation in which the “agent” – with a heavy foreign accent – threatened that an officer would come by and handcuff him and arrest him for non-payment.

After finally realizing it was a scam, the resident contacted the Lakewood police department to report it.

TIPS:

Here are five things the scammers often do but the IRS will not do.

The IRS will not:

** Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.

** Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity 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 local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here’s what you should do:

If you know you owe taxes or think you might owe, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. The IRS workers can help you with a payment issue.

If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1-800-366-4484 or report it online at the IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting Page.

If you’ve been targeted by this scam, also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their FTC Complaint Assistant at FTC.gov. If the complaint involves someone impersonating the IRS, include the words “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.

Remember, too, the IRS does not use email, text messages or any social media to discuss your personal tax issue involving bills or refunds. For more information on reporting tax scams, go to IRS.gov and type “scam” in the search box.

[TLS]