From a Washington Department of Revenue press release:

The Washington Department of Revenue is warning businesses to be aware of a new telephone scam.

The scammers fraudulently claim to be from Revenue and request over-the-phone payment to renew expired business licenses.

Revenue will never ask for or take payment for license renewals over the phone. The department mails businesses a notice about six weeks before their renewal is due and a delinquent notice a week after the license expires.

License renewals should be made through a business’s secure My DOR account.

Businesses that receive one of these fraudulent calls and want to check their license status should visit the My DOR website at and log in to review their account information.

If a business is unsure about correspondence with the Department of Revenue or has questions related to this scam, they are asked to call 1-800-451-7985.

The Department of Revenue is Washington state’s primary tax administration agency, nationally recognized for innovation and service quality. Revenue collected $22.4 billion in tax revenues in Fiscal Year 2016. These funds support education, social services, health care, corrections, public safety, natural resources conservation and other public services.