Tax-Time Scams
It's true: Tax scams proliferate during the income tax filing season. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provides the following scam warnings so you can protect yourself and avoid becoming a victim of these crimes:
- Be vigilant of any unexpected communication purportedly from the IRS at the start of tax season.
- Don't fall for phone and phishing email scams that use the IRS as a lure. Thieves often pose as the IRS using a bogus refund scheme or warnings to pay past-due taxes.
- The IRS doesn't initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of e-communication, such as text messages and social media channels.
- The IRS doesn't ask for PINs, passwords, or similar confidential information for credit card, bank, or other accounts.
- If you get an unexpected email, don't open any attachments or click on any links contained in the message. Instead, forward the email to phishing@irs.gov.
Here are several steps you can take to help protect yourself against scams and identity theft:
- Don't carry your Social Security card or any documents that include your Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).
- Don't give a business your SSN or ITIN just because they ask. Give it only when required.
- Protect your financial information.
- Check your credit report every 12 months.
- Secure personal information in your home.
- Protect your personal computers by using firewalls and antispam or antivirus software, updating security patches and changing passwords for Internet accounts.
- Don't give personal information over the phone, through the mail, or on the Internet unless you have initiated the contact and are sure of the recipient.
- Be careful when you choose a tax preparer. Most preparers provide excellent service, but there are a few who are unscrupulous.
U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS). (Updated 2014, November 7). IRS warns of tax-time scams. Retrieved November 15, 2019, from https://www.irs.gov