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WNIJ's summary of news items around our state.

Illinois Attorney General Says Tax Scams Are On The Rise

"DSC00228" by Flickr User Andrew Writer / (CC X 2.0)

Various tax scams happen year-round through phone and other platforms.

The IRS says typical con artists call using fake names and invalid identification numbers.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan says scammers often alter caller IDs to make it look like the IRS is calling.

“And, for many people, they can’t tell that it’s not legitimate because the number and the name that come up on their caller ID appears to be from the IRS or the treasury department," she says. "Often, it’s with the 202 area code, which is the Washington, D.C. area code.”

Madigan says the fake callers often ask for an immediate payment or to update information.

“Nobody really wants the IRS to call them. And when it appears that they are calling you for real, you certainly don’t want any negative consequences to happen," she says, "so, unfortunately, many people have fallen for this scam.”

Madigan also urges people to watch for email “phishing” scams, which contain links to pages that look similar to the IRS website; the emails typically ask people to provide or verify personal information.