I paid "back taxes" to someone who wasn't the IRS

Emails and calls referenced tax balances that sounded plausible for my business.

I thought I was clearing back taxes quietly before liens hit.

They sent routing details labelled “Treasury” that pointed to a personal account abroad.

I wired five figures the same week the “deadline” fell.

Fake tax collection exploits fear of IRS / HMRC.

Wires are hard to reverse; the real transcript my CPA pulled showed no matching debt.

I did not loop in my accountant first because pride said I should handle it alone.

My CPA opened the official account transcript—zero balance matching their story—and the bank traced the wire to an individual overseas.

I run a small business; losing the nest egg stung professionally and personally.

Any large tax payment gets a two-person rule: my CPA or official portal confirms before money moves.

• Use IRS.gov / GOV.UK to learn how real collection works.
• Report to IC3 / local police and notify your bank immediately.

For more help, see our Report a scam page and Spot and avoid scams guide.