IRS warns of tax scam in East Tennessee

KNOXVILLE (WATE) - The Internal Revenue Service is warning taxpayers in East Tennessee about scammers doing phone surveys.

The scammers are pretending to be employees of the IRS and trying to trick people into providing personal information over the phone, according to a news release.

"As a general rule, the IRS doesn't conduct direct surveys of individual taxpayers by phone," said IRS spokesman Dan Boone. He also said the IRS does not contact people through social media or email.

Boone said the IRS sometimes makes phone calls, but usually contacts taxpayers by mail.

If you're suspicious about a contact, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to determine if the agency is really trying to contact you, or forward suspicious emails to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.