THE IRS SCAM: A person claiming to be an IRS agent calls and demands immediate payment of money he claims the victim owes. The victim is told to give the caller a credit card number, or to wire the money. Or, he may say 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.

IRS phone scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers, and identify themselves using common first and surnames. They may have the last four digits of the victim's Social Security number, and often "spoof" the IRS toll-free number so the call appears on caller ID to be legitimate.THE TRUTH: IRS agents never call people out of the blue to demand payment, nor do they ask for credit card information. Agents never insist that people use a specific method to pay taxes. Taxpayers typically receive paperwork by mail if there's a problem.THE SOCIAL SECURITY SCAM: The victim gets a phone call from a person claiming to work for Social Security and asking for personal financial information because there was a computer glitch and information was lost.THE GRANDCHILD SCAM: The scammer calls, posing as the victim's grandchild. They say they have been arrested, or had an accident, or fallen on other misfortune and need money to be sent immediately. Sometimes accomplices pose as police or emergency workers to support the scam.THE SWEEPSTAKES SCAM: The victim gets a phone call or letter saying they won a large prize, but must pay taxes on the award. The letter may even contain a check made out to the victim for more than the amount owed. When the check is deposited and the alleged taxes or fees paid, the check turns out to be bogus, and the victim loses the money.