Ah, summertime! Warm days, rest and recreation and…tax scams. Thieves don’t
stop victimizing unsuspecting taxpayers with their scams after April 15.
Identity theft, phone and phishing scams happen year-round. Those three top the
IRS’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ list of tax scams this year. Here’s some important
information you should know about these common tax scams:
1. Identity Theft. Identity thieves steal
personal and financial information to commit fraud or other crimes. This can
include your Social Security number or bank information. An identity thief may
file a phony tax return to claim a fraudulent refund.
The IRS has a special identity
protection page on IRS.gov. It has many
resources you can use to reduce your risk of becoming a victim. The page can
also tell you what steps to take if you are a victim of identity theft and need
help. This includes how and when you should contact the IRS Identity Protection
Specialized Unit.
2. Phone Scams. In these scams, thieves pose as
the IRS and call would-be victims with one goal in mind: to steal
their money. Callers will tell you that you owe taxes and demand immediate
payment. They will tell you that you must pay the bogus tax bill with a
pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. The callers are often abusive and
threaten arrest or deportation. They may know the last four digits of your
Social Security number. They also rig caller ID to falsely show that the call
is from the IRS.
Keep in mind that if a person owes taxes, the IRS will first contact
them by mail, not by phone. The IRS doesn’t ask for payment with a pre-paid
debit card or wire transfer. If you owe, or think you might owe federal taxes
and you get one of these calls, hang up. Call the IRS at 800-829-1040. The IRS
will work with you to pay what you owe. If you don’t owe taxes, call and report
the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at
800-366-4484.
3. Phishing Scams. Criminals use the IRS as bait
in a phishing scam. Scammers typically send emails that purport to come from
the IRS. They often lure their targets with a false promise of a refund or the
threat of an audit. They may also set up a phony website that looks like the
real IRS.gov. These phony sites often have the IRS
seal and other graphics to make them appear official. Their goal is to get
their victim to reveal personal and financial information. They use the
information they get to steal identities and commit fraud.
The IRS doesn’t contact people by email about their tax account. Nor
does the agency use email, social media, texting or fax to initiate contact or
ask for personal or financial information. If you get an email like this, do
not click on a link or open any attachments. You should instead forward it to
the IRS at [email protected]. For more on
this topic visit IRS.gov and select the ‘Reporting
Phishing’ link at the bottom of the page.
Don’t let tax scams take the fun out of your summer. Be alert to phone and
phishing email scams that use the IRS as a lure. Visit the genuine IRS website,
IRS.gov, for more on what you can do to avoid
becoming a victim and how to report
tax fraud.
