U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., added his voice to those urging the public not to be drawn into scams by people posing as Internal Revenue Service agents demanding payment of alleged back taxes.
Menendez also is warning the public about a provision in the federal budget agreement allowing federal agencies and third-party companies to call residents to collect debts or funds backed by the federal government, including back taxes, student and federal loans. Menendez, who is fighting the provision, thinks it will do more harm than good.
“People must be protected from over-the-phone predators trying to steal your money,” Menendez said. “Not only does this budget provision open the flood gates to more nuisance phone calls interrupting dinner and family time, but it blurs the line between what is legit and what is a complete and utter fraud. It erodes the work we’ve done to better protect people from unwanted phone calls, like pushing for increased ‘Do Not Call’ protections, it leads to confusion and — worst of all — it unnecessarily increases the risk of falling victim to a scam.”
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