The IRS has stopped surprise visits from revenue officers to taxpayers' homes as part of its "transformation" efforts, leaving room for scammers to exploit the situation. Scam artists posing as IRS agents have been causing confusion and anxiety for taxpayers and law enforcement. This change is aimed at reducing stress for both taxpayers and IRS employees. IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel stated that taxpayers should now expect appointment letters, with only a few rare exceptions for unannounced visits, such as serving summonses, subpoenas, and sensitive enforcement activities involving asset seizure beyond government reach. These exceptional cases number significantly fewer than the previous policy's tens of thousands of unannounced visits. To differentiate between IRS scammers and genuine representatives, the IRS advises taxpayers to always ask for credentials or identification when someone claims to be from the IRS. Genuine IRS representatives can provide two official forms of credentials, including an HSPD-12 card, a government-wide identification standard for federal employees. For more details, taxpayers can refer to the IRS.gov page "How to Know if it's Really the IRS Calling or Knocking on Your Door" and the IRS Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
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