The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance issued a warning that scammers are cloning the Tax Department’s fraud hotline phone numbers so they appear to be legitimate phone calls from the agency.

If either of the following Tax Department numbers appears on a caller ID system, it’s an immediate signal that the caller is a scam artist: 518-457-5181 or 518-457-0578. These phone numbers are for taxpayers making incoming calls to the Tax Department. The Tax Department doesn’t use these numbers for outgoing calls.

“Many of the imposters who call demand payments on iTunes gift cards and other reloadable debit cards, which are obvious red flags,” said Jerry Boone, New York State Commissioner of Taxation and Finance. “I urge every New Yorker to remain vigilant for signs that a call could be a scam.”

If someone is unsure a caller claiming to be from the Tax Department is legitimate, contact the Tax Department call center at (518) 457-5434. A live representative will be able to verify any tax issues.

People can protect themselves from con artists by creating an Online Services (OLS) account directly with the Tax Department at www.tax.ny.gov. This will allow people to confirm any outstanding tax liabilities and manage tax matters securely online. If a caller says something that doesn’t match up with a person’s OLS account, this could be a warning sign.

Those who believe they’ve been contacted by someone attempting a scam, or if a person or a client has been the victim of fraud or identity theft, visit the Tax Department’s Report fraud, scams, and identity theft webpage to learn how to report it.