The California Dept. of ABC recently received complaints of potential scams targeting licensees by persons claiming to be IRS representatives in the Los Angeles area. The scammers call the businesses by telephone and claim they are IRS representatives demanding “back taxes” on alcohol licenses.
Please be advised that these “scam” calls are FAKE according to the ABC. The rule of thumb is that the IRS and ABC will NOT contact you by telephone for payment of government fees or back taxes. They will ONLY contact you by WRITTEN NOTICE.
However, the ABC may still contact you by telephone for other matters. I have represented many businesses with their ABC licenses and depending on the case, they may contact a licensee by telephone. That said, the caller WILL NOT demand fees or back taxes by telephone.
If you are wary of responding to any calls you may received from the IRS or ABC as to your license, you can consider hiring my firm to investigate it further.
Finally, the Dept. of ABC has advised that: If anyone receives a call from a person who says they represent the IRS or ABC demanding any payment, they should try to obtain the person's name and contact information, then report it immediately to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at www.tigta.gov, see “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” or by calling 800-366-4484. In addition, the IRS provides information about scam reporting. You can find out more by visiting: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-scams-consumer-alerts.
