Watch out for this IRS phone scam

I have an all-out red alert scam alert for you. I need to tell you about an ugly con the IRS warns is happening all over the country. Here’s how it plays. Somebody calls you up, they may even have all kinds of your personal information, potentially even your social security number. They claim that they are a collection agent for the IRS and if you don’t pay them money right now they’re going to put you in jail.

Or you don’t pay them money right now they are going to take your house away or whatever back story they tell you it is a big fat lie. What happens next is so ugly. They say if you don’t want to go to jail you need to pay us money immediately, either by wire transfer or by a green dot money card. What you should know is the IRS will not make any calls like this at all. The people calling you are flat out crooks, con artists. Hang up on them! I’m Clark Howard.