Tax scams, identity theft, and fraud schemes to watch out for — how they work, how to spot them, and how to protect yourself.
It may be summertime, but that doesn’t mean that scammers are on vacation. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is encouraging taxpayers to be on the lookout for a “surge of evolving phishing emails and telephone scams.” The IRS is specifically warning about two new variations on existing, long-running tax-related scams. One of the scams tries to gather…
Last year, callers reported more negative robocalls on Tax Day than any other day. A whopping 143 million negative robocalls were placed on Tax Day in 2018, according to a comprehensive robocall data analysis by Transaction Network Services, Inc. (TNS). Negative robocalls are those which are scams, fraudulent or nuisance calls. The top technique for…
It’s not just the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issuing warnings about phone impersonation and related scams: the U.S. Tax Court has also issued a warning on its website in an effort to educate taxpayers so that they don’t become victims (downloads as a PDF). Like the IRS, the Tax Court will not: Call or email to demand payment of…
With just a few weeks until Tax Day, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is reminding taxpayers to be on the lookout for tax scams. The IRS has issued its annual “Dirty Dozen” list of tax scams, highlighting a variety of schemes. The common thread, according to the IRS: Scams put taxpayers at risk. Taxpayers can…
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a warning about a new twist on the old IRS impersonation phone scam. In this version of the scam, criminals try to convince taxpayers that they are calling from the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS). The TAS is an independent organization within the IRS. Its mission is to protect your…
I had an email in my inbox yesterday which allegedly contained a voicemail from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Here’s part of what the email looked like: There are two things you should know for context. One, since I represent taxpayers, I do get voicemail from the IRS. And two, since I have a digital…
As tax season heats up, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a warning to taxpayers to beware of unscrupulous tax return preparers. Specifically, the DOJ is reminding taxpayers to remain wary of tax preparers who claim they can obtain larger refunds than other tax preparers, or who engage in dishonest practices. “Fraudulent tax return preparers harm…
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is warning about an uptick in phishing emails involving payroll direct deposit, wire transfer, and W-2 scams. The emails, which are primarily targeted to businesses, are not limited to a particular industry or employer though the IRS has received reports that tax preparers are among those affected. Here’s how they typically work….
The more you know about how to protect yourself, the better chance you have to not be a victim. Here are 13 tips help you protect yourself from identity theft, scams, and fraud:
I did a double take this morning. I was scrolling through my inbox and ran across an email allegedly from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regarding tax transcripts. It wasn’t actually from IRS: It was a scam. However, it was close enough to get my attention. Here’s what the email looked like: In contrast, here’s…
