If you owe taxes, a private collection agency may contact you. Here’s how you know it’s an IRS authorized private collection agency calling and not a scammer: You will always get a letter from the IRS first. It’ll say your account was assigned to a private collection agency, and it’ll tell you exactly how to contact them. Then that agency will send you a letter. After that, the agency can call you and say they are calling on behalf of the IRS. For your protection, there will be information in those letters that will help you verify that calls from a private collection agency are legitimate. So keep these letters. If anyone else besides the agency listed in your letter from us calls you about your tax debt, it’s a scam. Just hang up. You won’t hear from a private collection agency unless you have unpaid tax debts. You will not be asked to pay an individual person or a private collection agency directly. Also, you won’t be asked to pay with a gift or pre-paid debit card, cryptocurrency or to make a wire transfer. To make a payment, go to IRS.gov/payments. For more information about private debt collection, go to IRS.gov/privatedebtcollection.
