{
 "@context": "https://schema.org",
 "@type": "FAQPage",
 "mainEntity": [
  {
   "@type": "Question",
   "name": "Will the IRS ever call me by phone?",
   "acceptedAnswer": {
    "@type": "Answer",
    "text": "Almost never as a first contact. The IRS initiates nearly all matters by postal mail. In rare cases an IRS employee may call after multiple mailed notices \u2014 but they will never demand immediate payment, never require a specific payment method like gift cards or wire, and never threaten to involve police. Any call that opens with a threat is an imposter."
   }
  },
  {
   "@type": "Question",
   "name": "Can my Social Security number really be suspended?",
   "acceptedAnswer": {
    "@type": "Answer",
    "text": "No. There is no mechanism by which a Social Security number is \"suspended,\" \"frozen,\" or \"deactivated.\" This claim appears in millions of imposter calls precisely because it sounds official and frightening \u2014 but it describes something that does not exist. Any contact making this claim is a scam, full stop."
   }
  },
  {
   "@type": "Question",
   "name": "The caller ID showed the real agency's number. Doesn't that prove it's real?",
   "acceptedAnswer": {
    "@type": "Answer",
    "text": "No \u2014 caller ID spoofing lets scammers display any number they choose, including real agency phone numbers. Caller ID should be treated as decoration, not evidence. The only reliable verification is hanging up and calling the agency back on a number you independently look up on its official .gov website."
   }
  },
  {
   "@type": "Question",
   "name": "What payment methods do real government agencies accept?",
   "acceptedAnswer": {
    "@type": "Answer",
    "text": "Checks, official online payment portals on .gov websites, and standard card payments through those portals. No agency \u2014 federal, state, or local \u2014 accepts gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, payment apps like Zelle or Cash App, or cash handed to a courier. A demand for any of those payment methods identifies the contact as fraudulent by itself."
   }
  },
  {
   "@type": "Question",
   "name": "Is what I paste here stored anywhere?",
   "acceptedAnswer": {
    "@type": "Answer",
    "text": "No. Per our Security Policy Framework \u00a73.1, nothing you submit is stored in our database. Your description is processed server-side, analyzed, and discarded immediately after your result is returned. We do not retain, sell, or use submissions for any purpose, including AI training."
   }
  },
  {
   "@type": "Question",
   "name": "I already gave them information or money. What should I do?",
   "acceptedAnswer": {
    "@type": "Answer",
    "text": "Act quickly and without shame \u2014 these operations are professionally built. If you paid by gift card, contact the card issuer immediately; by wire, contact your bank's fraud department. Report the contact at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and if your SSN was shared, visit IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan. If it involved Social Security specifically, report it to the SSA Office of the Inspector General."
   }
  }
 ]
}