Over the past few years, virtually all U.S. residents have received one, or more likely numerous, robocalls containing a pre-recorded message about a “National Tax Relief Program.” If the recipient stayed on the line, the robocaller asked if the recipient had a tax debt, and if so, claimed that a new “Tax Dismissal Program” could help those struggling with tax debt. If the call continued, the recipient was ultimately connected to a live operator who took personal identification information such as date of birth and social security number. This information could then be used to commit financial fraud on the unsuspecting person who answered the call.
On April 4, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC”) Enforcement Bureau served a “Notification of Suspected Illegal Traffic” on Veriwave Telco, LLC, a Delaware company which apparently originated much of the illegal robocall traffic. In the letter, the FCC accused the company of placing 15.8 million robocalls between November 1, 2023 and January 31, 2024. The FCC pointed out that there is no evidence of the existence of the stated “National Tax Relief Program” for U.S. taxpayers claimed in the robocalls. Ultimately, the FCC threatened to block all of Veriwave’s telephone traffic unless it agreed to provide information about the robocall traffic and cease all illegal activities.
While the FCC’s enforcement action against Veriwave is great news for everyone with a phone number, The FCC did not mention or advise U.S. taxpayers about the legitimate programs available to resolve tax debts. For example, in order to resolve various types of tax debts, the IRS offers a number of different programs, including, but not limited to, “Streamlined,” “Partial Pay,” or other types of installment agreements, Offers in Compromise, “Currently not Collectible” status, “injured spouse” or “innocent spouse” relief, penalty abatement, and various voluntary disclosure programs, among others set up to assist taxpayers. While the legitimate IRS taxpayer programs can be complex to understand and require the taxpayer to meet certain qualifications, taxpayers owing income taxes, employment taxes, estate taxes, penalties, interest and other types of tax debts to the IRS may qualify for some form of relief.
To speak with a tax professional who is well-versed in the many legitimate IRS taxpayer programs, please give us a call. Gensburg Calandriello & Kanter, P.C. has been assisting clients with resolving their tax-related debts for over 30 years.
Sandra Mertens
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