Scammers have long pretended to be the IRS in order to prey on taxpayers in the hopes of scaring them into paying hundreds or thousands of dollars. In reaction to this, the IRS warns consumers of these scams, which take on many forms. 

Recently, there has been an uptick in IRS scams coming from India. One 29-year-old woman, who ultimately gave into the scammer’s request for money, said that the person who called her had a foreign accent and confused basic English phrases. 

Twice in the conversation, the scam victim said the person on the phone said she owed 1,000 rupees, which is the currency used in India. Both times he corrected himself and said she owed $1,000.