ATLANTA — Georgia is among the top 10 states in the country for the number of impostors posing as IRS officials.
Consumer investigator Jim Strickland says Georgians have reported losing a total of $275,000. Federal agents say the true damage is much higher, but untallied because so many embarrassed victims do not come forward.
Attorney Bob Susko got an email purportedly from the IRS seeking information to update its records.
"Their email said IRS.gov, so I assumed it was the real thing, but I still didn't believe it," said Susko. "I'd have been very angry if I'd been had."
IRS spokesman Mark Green says the impostors are still at it because they are still making money.
"Individuals are out to get one thing: your social security number or your bank account information," said Green.
Nationally nearly 3,000 victims have reported losing more than $15 million. The number of complaints has eclipsed 350,000, with more than 7,000 coming last week, according to IRS figures Green provided.
"That's the bad part about it is they are working and people are getting ripped off and that's a shame," said Susko.