"IRS Arrest Warrant – One Hour to Pay" Call Scam
Federal tax arrest warrant — gift card demand by fake IRS agent with badge number
This is the IRS. A tax warrant has been issued for your arrest. You must call 1-888-555-0127 within one hour to prevent law enforcement from arriving at your home.
Call
Confirmed scam
Warrant threats trigger fear of immediate arrest — victims have driven to Walmart to buy gift cards mid-call.
Typical victim loss: $1,000–$50,000
FTC Consumer Sentinel 2024 — government impersonation median $1,400; arrest threats drive above-median payments (FBI IC3 2024)
First seen
Jun 2024
Category
Government
Attack vector
Call
Trigger
Panic / Urgency
4 red flags in this message
Arrest warrant fiction
Tax warrants go through the Department of Justice, not IRS phone calls.
One-hour deadline
Maximum panic pressure. No legal process works this way.
Home arrest threat
Designed to terrorize immediate compliance.
Fake callback number
Connects to scammer, not the IRS.
What happens if you click
Victim pays thousands in gift cards or wire transfers to 'settle the warrant'.
Personal and financial information collected during the 'resolution process'.
Other versions of this message
Scammers rotate wording to bypass spam filters. All variations lead to the same outcome.
IRS final call: Arrest warrant issued. Pay outstanding balance to stop it.
You are being contacted by the Internal Revenue Service regarding criminal charges.
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Frequently asked questions
Can the IRS issue an arrest warrant over the phone?+
No. Criminal tax charges go through the Department of Justice. You would receive formal legal notice through court proceedings, with the right to legal representation.
Would law enforcement come to your home without prior notice?+
No. Any law enforcement action related to taxes involves a formal legal process, not a phone warning that gives you one hour to comply.
What do I do if I receive this call?+
Hang up immediately. Report it to the IRS at [email protected] and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Do not call the number back.
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Check your message →First documented: June 2024
Source: FTC Consumer Sentinel 2024 — government impersonation median $1,400; arrest threats drive above-median payments (FBI IC3 2024)
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