Since tax season, a scam has gone around the country in which callers attempt to persuade students to put money on gift cards and make other forms of payment to meet a previously unknown “federal student tax.”

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) multiple universities have been targeted. Some examples of the varied tactics seen this year are:

• Demanding immediate tax payment for taxes owed on an iTunes gift card.
• Soliciting W-2 information from payroll and human resources professionals (IR-2016-34) 
• “Verifying” tax return information over the phone (IR-2016-40) 
• Pretending to be from the tax preparation industry (IR-2016-28) 

The Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) reminds students that the IRS will never call to demand immediate payment over the phone, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill. They will not threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

The IRS also will not demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe, and they certainly will not require you to pay your taxes using a specific payment method for your taxes such as a prepaid debit card. Asking for credit or debit card numbers over the phone is another give-away that something is amiss.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money and you don’t owe taxes, here’s what you should do:

• Do not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
• Notify GTPD by calling 404-894-2500.
• Contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) to report the call. Use their IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting web page or call 800-366-4484.
• Report the call to the Federal Trade Commission by visiting FTC.gov and clicking on “File a Consumer Complaint.” Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.
• If you think you might owe taxes, still do not give out any information. Hang up and call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040.