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The Internal Revenue Service is reminding taxpayers to beware of criminals who continue using devious tactics to steal money and personal information from unsuspecting victims, especially as the fall season approaches.
The agency warns that scammers continue to pose as the IRS, making threatening phone calls and using email phishing schemes to lure taxpayers.
prevalent ahead of the Oct. 15 tax-filing extension deadline. Another tax scam, where criminals pose as charity organizations, tends to peak during hurricane season or following a natural disaster. Taxpayers should learn about these ongoing tax scams and know what to do if they’re targeted.
The IRS urges taxpayers to look out for suspicious calls, emails and donation requests and take appropriate action if they experience any of the following:
How the scam works: Criminals pose as IRS employees and call victims, demanding immediate payment of a so-called tax debt. Payments are often requested via prepaid debit cards and/or money wires. The caller will ask to stay on the line or otherwise call repeatedly while the victim completes the transaction. The caller may use a condescending tone and will often threaten to file a lawsuit, call the police or involve federal law enforcement agencies if the victim doesn’t comply. The call may appear to come from emergency services and/or a local/federal law enforcement agency but the fraudsters are faking, or “spoofing” the caller ID to only appear to come from a legitimate agency.
What taxpayers should do: Hang up the phone. Know that the IRS would never call to threaten or demand immediate tax payment. The agency offers taxpayers a chance to appeal any amount in question and offers numerous ways of resolving a tax liability.
Anyone wishing to check their account after receiving this type of call can visit the IRS website and register to view your account information online. The tool allows taxpayers to view up to 24 months of payment history and balance due for any given tax year. Taxpayers who want to report scam calls can visit the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration’s website, TIGTA.gov, and also email phishing@irs.gov (Subject: IRS Phone Scam). Visit Report Phishing for more information.
How the scam works: Criminals send an email to your personal or business account(s) appearing to be from the IRS. The email usually features the IRS logo, uses agency language and asks taxpayers to provide sensitive information. It may also ask recipients to open an attachment or click on a link embedded within the email to supposedly give the taxpayer account access. In a more recent variation called “spear phishing,” the criminal, having done research on the victim ahead of time, will send an email posing as a trusted source. The email will make an urgent plea to click on a link and update an account immediately. The link will then direct the victim to what seems to be a trusted website but is in reality a phishing website controlled by the thief who can install malicious software. What taxpayers should do: Do not provide personal information, click on links or open attachments from emails pretending to be from the IRS. Know that the IRS does not initiate contact by email or social media channels. The agency gets in touch with taxpayers through paper letters mailed by the U.S. Postal Service. IRS letters and notices are mailed to the taxpayer’s most recent address on file. Forward the email as-is, preferably with the full email headers to phishing@irs.gov. Delete the original email.