5 On Your Side

Beware: IRS text scams on the rise, Google searches show

WRAL 5 On Your Side is putting out a warning about IRS scams.
Posted 2023-05-31T21:27:14+00:00 - Updated 2023-05-31T21:50:28+00:00
IRS text scams surge, how to avoid them

WRAL 5 On Your Side is putting out a warning about IRS scams.

On Wednesday, Google searches with the phrase “IRS Text Scams” increased 809% nationwide compared to the day before.

IRS text scams typically involve a scammer posing as an IRS agent. They text your phone and tell you that you owe money or are eligible for a refund. This is all just a ploy to get your personal information and money.

The real IRS will not text, email or call out of the blue. You can check your actual status with the IRS on its website irs.gov. You can also report potential scams on its website.

Older adults are often targeted by scammers. WRAL 5 On Your Side spoke with participants of the Northern Wake County Senior Center “Age My Way” event. They tell WRAL News that they know people who have been scammed and try to do what they can to protect themselves.

“We were actually at the bridge class the other day- one of the ladies said she just got scammed," Bob Cluett said. "They tried to get her to donate thousands of dollars but luckily she caught on and didn’t give away her money.”

“I’m very wary … about scams, I try to be very careful with who I speak with, and what I tell people,” Lilieth Young said.

The “Age My Way” event was hosted at the newly reopened Senior Center in Wake Forest. The center offers hundreds of classes in the arts, physical fitness and continuing education. The center went through a remodel and repair following a fire in 2022.

Stephanie Kaeberlein designed the new center with older adults in mind, complete with comfier and lighter furniture, acoustic tiles which double as art work and painted walls to indicate exits.

There are 1.7 million North Carolina residents are 65 and older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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