As the tax filing season heads into the home stretch con games are reaching a peak with scammers trying to steal your money or identity.

Everyone is fair game to these fraudsters.Last week, Brian Ellis, a state representative from Butler County, reported someone pretending to be an IRS agent called his home and said he and his wife owed $3,900.Earlier in the conversation, however, the caller used another amount $2,900 which raised an immediate red flag.The scam artist told Ellis' wife the IRS had tried to notify them of the debt twice before and that there was a warrant out for their arrest.Earlier this year, a Nesquehoning resident reported a similar scare tactic after receiving a phone call from a male with a heavy Indian accent claiming to be from the IRS.He said the woman owed back taxes and if she did not pay immediately, she would be arrested.Scam artists are always trying to stay a step ahead of authorities in the deception game.Some fraudsters spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it sound like an official IRS call.Victims may even hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.Some are even sending bogus IRS emails to willing victims in order to support their bogus calls.There are other bogus callers who claim the victim is owed a large refund, but must first pay a fee.Accomplices call the victim, pretending to represent local police or the Department of Motor Vehicles and threaten victims with jail time or revoking their driver's license.Be aware that some crooks are persistent.If they are unsuccessful the first time, sometimes they call back, trying a new strategy.There are clear warning signs. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information.This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels.The IRS also does not ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts.Recipients should not open any attachments or click on any links contained in the message. Instead, forward the email to

phishing@irs.gov.If you receive a phone call from a person you believe to be a scammer, write down as much information as you can on the person calling, as well as the phone number they are calling from; ask them for a phone number to use to call them back; and report it to local police.You can also file a report with the Federal Communications Commission by calling 888-CALL-FCC or you can file a complaint at

https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov.By JIM ZBICKtneditor@tnonline.com