IRS scam robo calls are up during tax season, especially in Arizona

PHOENIX - Are you sick and tired of robocalls? Arizona has been flooded with them as we're way above the average in IRS scam robo calls this month.

If you expected long lines at post offices on April 18, or Tax Day, you were wrong. It's an online world now. Nothing's in person – not even the scams.

It's no surprise that the IRS reported Tuesday that 94% of individual filers filed online.

Michael Doyle did this taxes a while ago.

When? Feb. 8th.

So the official Tax Day essentially means nothing to him.

Jen Lapointe filed online Monday night.

"Why did I wait? Becasue I have a lot of money to pay, of course," she said, laughing.

Jerry Espinoza was one of the few who did their taxes on Tax Day, and sent them in by mail.

While his taxes are handed off to mail carriers, scam artists are still trying to get their hands on the information they contain, especially in Arizona.

John Haraburda with Transaction Network Services tracks scam robocalls nationally.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE IRS SCAM CALLS HERE

"With Arizona, I'm seeing an additional 50% increase over the national increase, so it's really been hitting Arizona hard," he said.

He says data shows Arizona is averaging 80,000 IRS scam calls a week. That's quadruple to what it was 2 months ago.

"People are trying to use a catalyst event like tax preparation, tax season ending to get access to your information and defraud the consumer," Haraburda said.

Lapointe worries her mother can fall victim.

"People like my mom, who do trusts everyone that calls them, I have to be really diligent and ask questions when she takes those phone calls because she just trusts everyone that calls her. That's a bummer because people do get scammed," she said. 

Espinoza worries about it, too, but after sending off his paper work, he's now focused on the incoming return.

"I feel good," he said. "I'm going to get a cup of cofee," he said.

Nationwide, there was a 100% increase in IRS scam calls this month, so they're on the increase everywhere.

TNS says the up and coming new trend are the AI calls. Haraburda expects that to increase in the future.