Don’t be a victim of tax fraud

Tuesday, March 01, 2016

Identity theft, fraud committed by your tax return preparer, phone scams and phishing (fake emails or websites looking to steal personal information) are all things to watch for this tax season, according to the Internal Revenue Service’s “Dirty Dozen” list of scams. Click here to view all twelve. 

While filing taxes can be confusing due to the abundance of scams this season, one thing is clear: The IRS will NEVER initiate contact with you by email, text message or social media to request personal or financial information.

Congress passed a bill a couple of months ago that makes things a little more confusing, however. The bill will allow private debt collectors to CALL you on the phone on behalf of the IRS. Unfortunately, scammers could call you as well. So, how do you differentiate between the two?

It’s important to note that legitimate collectors operating on behalf of the IRS are not allowed to accept payment directly over the phone (all payments must be processed by the IRS). Even though you may get a call if you’re long overdue on paying your taxes, you should never give out your bank account or credit card number to the person calling. (If they’re asking for it, they’re scamming you!)

Finally, in the unfortunate event that you do become a victim of tax fraud, CBS News has a helpful article on how you can fix things.