Scammers have gotten a new angle on an old trick, and it involves threatening their victims with a lawsuit if they don't pay up.
William Miller, age 93, received a call Friday morning. He said a recording told him they were with the IRS and he needed to call them back or he'd be sued.
"I was cooking breakfast when they called and told me they were going to file a lawsuit against me," Miller said.
H & R Block representatives said they've been contacted multiple times about these types of calls.
The scam artists have been asking for money and threatening to send people to jail if they don't pay. They have also threatened people with a lawsuit if they don't call back.
Ken Spratt with H & R Block said neither statement is true.
"The IRS will never, ever call anybody or threaten anyone. They will always send you some kind of letter before they will contact you. They just don't do business that way," said Spratt.
He said the best way to protect your information is to keep it to yourself, never give any information out over the phone, and file your taxes as early as possible. That gives scam artists less time to get to your personal information.
Spratt said any mention of jail time or lawsuits should almost always raise a red flag.
"They never do that unless you're a prolonged problem and only in fraud cases not because you owe money," said Spratt.
Miller knew that from watching the news and because his son-in-law used to work for the IRS.
Scammers will no doubt look for new ways to get to their victims, but they should know their once typical target is on to them.
"I'll try to get any information I can, so I can turn it over to you or Goodlettsville Police," said Miller.
If you do become a victim of one of these scams, the best thing you can do at that point is file a police report, which will help you in prosecuting the scammers.
