Officials are warning consumers about scams by people claiming to be from the IRS.

These "robocalls" aim to scare people into sending money.

New Jersey resident Barratt Choonoo unfortunately fell from one of these scams and was out $1,900.

"They're just pure criminals who prey on the poor," says Choonoo.

He was fooled because the fake IRS agent had his personal info. "He had my driver's license number," says Choonoo. "He had my date of birth. He had my social. So with all this key information he had, I panicked."

Kane In Your Corner experienced the scam firsthand. A phony IRS agent said that News 12 New Jersey's Walt Kane owed $3,860 to the U.S.government. The scammer said if Kane did not pay within 45 minutes, he would be arrested.

When the scammer first called, they were threatening a lawsuit, but the agent later said an arrest was imminent. Kane says that scammer didn't teven understand the law, and was just tossing out random threats, hoping the victim panicked and sent money.

Official notices from the IRS will come in the mail. IRS agents will never contact a person through email or phone calls.