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There exists a multitude of methods to communicate with each other within the United States, and the world for that matter. Some (myself included) would argue that we have lost our effectiveness in communicating verbally with each other, and with other members of our family. Another facet of this situation has evolved from others, with both fraudulent and criminal intentions, who seek to take advantage of technology to prey upon others for their own financial gain. In many instances, they are successful. Unfortunately, this also imposes a huge toll on the victims in terms of both financial losses, and emotional pain and suffering. In my opinion, both can last years in duration.
The effects are compounded by the state of our global environment – the fact that many, many Americans do not feel secure or safe. A recent report stated that the number is higher than 70%. Anonymous (difficult to track or identify the source) communications are pervasive. Many American use e-mails on a regular basis. We provide our e-mail address to sellers, suppliers, contacts etc. on a regular basis. These parties sell that information to other sources for their own financial gain. The information is probably re-sold to other firms. Our personal information and data is stored for years by entities with whom we have relationships – banks, retailers, the U.S. Government, financial institutions, credit card companies, etc. Their security systems are susceptible to being penetrated (“hacked”) and the information is captured and used fraudulently by criminals.
The contacts which you will eventually encounter include, but are not limited to: threats (may be written or oral), “phishing”, “hostage” capture of your PC and data, “Trojan Horses”, identity theft, malware, viruses, fraudulent telephone calls, “hacking” etc. In the past several years there has been a continuous year-over-year increase in the number of serious telephone scams. The script can be one of several forms (i.e. from the IRS or from someone claiming to be from the police or hospital stating that your son or daughter has been in an accident and is near death, or that you have an unpaid claim from  someone who has now taken legal action against you, etc.)
This post is related to those which are related to situations in which the fraudster is claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service (Federal or state). The caller’s goal is to intimidate you and to escalate the tenor of the call to the point at which you believe all, or most of the statements that have been made to you, and you are willing to cooperate fully with the caller. Their ultimate goal is to have you provide them with financial information that they will use to commit their fraud.
While I can not speak for all state taxing authorities within the United States, rest assured, the IRS will always initially communicate with you in writing. Always ignore these fraudulent calls. If you don’t know what to do, call 911, your CPA, your attorney, or a trusted friend or relative.
Tax Scams/Consumer Alerts
https://www.irs.gov/uac/Tax-Scams-Consumer-Alerts