One of the few: If the IRS is investigating you for back taxes, you’re one of the few. It’s rare for anyone to be criminally investigated by the IRS. But if there’s solid evidence of your crime, the IRS will send out a squad of skilled police. Especially if more than $10,000 in taxes is involved. So what do you need to know if you get a call from one of the IRS Special Agents?
Know Your Enemy: The IRS’ Criminal Investigations Division (CID) is a force to be reckoned with. IRS personnel who work in these departments are known as “Special Agents”. They are graduates of the FBI Academy, they know all IRS procedures, and they have the full resources of the Federal Government at their disposal. They are very skilled at finding unpaid taxpayers.
Proved guilty: Normal crime investigators investigate Crimes. IRS Special Agents are different. They investigate suspects. For example, if they suspect someone, they can thoroughly investigate them, even if a crime has not yet been committed. With the IRS, you are Guilty until Proven Innocent.
4 Steps a Special Agent Takes:
- Calling everyone around you: Pay attention to what you tell your friends. When Special Agents are investigating you, they may contact friends, neighbors, family members, co-workers, employees, bankers, insurance agents, business partners, or even your spouse. And if applicable, Special Agents may also contact your Travel Agent.
- Tap Phone: Special agents can get a court order giving them permission to tap your phone line.
- Accountant and Banker: They’d shut up, right? Think again. CID can be intimidating. While they can’t immediately threaten any action against your bank or Accountant for withholding information, a Special Agent’s subtle intimidation might make them sneer at you.
- Monitor your mail: The Special Agent will not have the right to open your mail. But they will follow the instructions from the return address. They can also get copies of bills from phone and credit card companies.
Last in: If CID is investigating you, you may be the last person they will interview. By the time CID contacts you, they may have spoken to multiple witnesses and accessed much of the evidence against you. Special Agents may contact you for a confession, but don’t forget your rights. You still have the right to remain silent. If you don’t know what to do, you can seek professional help.
Now You Have a Smoking Gun…Use it!
