Treasury / Stimulus Scam Phone Numbers
Numbers impersonating U.S. Treasury / IRS. Caller claims you are owed a federal stimulus or tax refund and need to pay a small fee to release it.
How the Treasury / Stimulus Scam works
The caller claims to be from the U.S. Treasury, the IRS Refund Division, or a federal "Economic Impact Payment" office. The recipient is told they qualify for a stimulus payment, an unclaimed refund, or a federal grant, but a small processing fee, taxes, or "release fee" must be paid first. The Treasury never charges fees to release money it owes you, and federal grants are never awarded by phone to people who did not apply.
Common pressure tactics
- "You qualify" framing
- Up-front fee demand
- Fake Treasury department names
- Wire transfer requests
The script you'll usually hear
Most treasury / stimulus calls open with one of three hooks: a fake "officer" or "agent" introducing themselves with a badge number, a recorded voice claiming an account or status has been frozen, or an aggressive demand to "respond within the hour" to avoid a consequence. The script then escalates pressure quickly. Recipients who push back are typically transferred to a "supervisor" who continues the same pitch with a slightly more authoritative tone — there is rarely a real second person on the line; it's almost always the same call-center agent putting on a different voice.
If you receive one of these calls
- Hang up. Do not "press 1" or stay on the line — both confirm a working number.
- Report it to the agency the caller pretended to be. For U.S. Treasury / IRS, find the agency's official complaint channel and forward the time of call, the spoofed caller-ID number, and any voicemail recording you have.
- Block the number on your device. If the calls keep coming from new numbers, consider a call-blocking app or the call-screening features your phone or carrier already offers.