On March 31st the Internal Revenue Service published a notice advising taxpayers of potential tax scams.  The notice was meant to assist taxpayers to stay informed and hopefully prevent them from being the victim of a tax scam.

 

Aggressive and threatening phone calls by criminals impersonating IRS agents remain high on the list of ongoing scams. Please be aware that the IRS will never call to demand immediate payment over the phone, threaten to bring in local police to have a person arrested or ask for credit or debit card information over the phone.

 

The IRA is also receiving reports of scammers calling under the guise of verifying tax return information over the phone for this tax season. The scammers state that the IRS has received the tax return and needs to verify information to process it.  Again, the IRS never does this.  If a taxpayer is requested to give personal information – it’s a scam.

 

There are also email scams targeting taxpayers. As an example, an email is received that purportedly comes from the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel, a volunteer board that advises the IRS on certain tax issues.  The email seeks the recipient to provide personal and financial information.  Do not provide the information.  There is also an increase in other email phishing and malware schemes.  If you get such an email do not respond.

 

For more information on tax scams read the notice.  Be informed and be safe this tax season.