Ohio Attorney General warns of IRS scam phone calls

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is putting consumers on alert, after his office received more than 100 complaints in one week about an IRS phone scam.

"They want you to send, that so called tax money, not in a check, what they want you to do is wire transfer, or get one these insta-cards, you can buy the green dot card and transfer money, " said DeWine.

DeWine said there are a few red flags here. The IRS will never request payment over the phone. The IRS does not take legal action immediately following a call, and the IRS always sends notification of tax concerns before calling. A phone call will not be your first indication that something is wrong.

"When someone calls you and asks you to wire transfer money, that's a good indicator that there is a problem," said DeWine.

The best way to protect yourself is to not answer or return the calls. Call the irs yourself if you have concerns about your taxes and immediately report the incident to the IRS on their website.

DeWine also said to call the attorney general at 800-282-0515.

"Even if you smelled it, said 'Hey, I'm not going to do it.' Call us, because that's the only way we know what's going on in the state. So, we can go out, like we are today and warn people in the Mahoning Valley about a problem," said DeWine.

Approximately 1,100 victims across the country have lost an estimated $5 million dollars in this scam.