When tax season comes around, the last thing you should have to worry about are scams. Although tax scams happen throughout the year, tax season is a typical time for scammers to take advantage of consumers. You might believe that you’ve received a phone call from the IRS, an email from a tax program, or a message from a trusted accountant.<\/p>\n
Instead, the individual you’ve encountered is a scammer and a thief. No one’s social security number should be compromised, or their identity is stolen, but it happens far more often than it should. Arm yourself and let your tax refund (or payments!) be the only thing you’re worried about.<\/p>\n
Some scams are more common than others. Here are the ones to look out for this year:<\/p>\n
You might think that you know this scam well. Perhaps you’re already a recipient of robocalls that link to a recording about the Social Security Administration. However, the newest scam steps it up a notch. Knowing that consumers might have read about SSA scams, this variety has a robocall link to a live person who will inform you that they are going to cancel or suspend your social security number.<\/p>\n
That might sound unlikely, but the scammer will seem authoritative and be threatening. They will try and get a hold of your social security number, personal data, or say that you owe a fine and need to pay them via digital gift card or money wire, etc.<\/p>\n
Did you receive an email from the IRS? Not so fast! The IRS has warned consumers that they do not send unsolicited emails. In 2019, the IRS and the Security Summit, their partner, sent out a warning to tax professionals and taxpayers. There is a popular scam hitting American inboxes everywhere.<\/p>\n
According to that Security Summit<\/a> warning, the email will have links that show an IRS.gov-like website with details pretending to be about the taxpayer’s refund, electronic return or tax account. The emails contain a “temporary password” or “one-time password” to “access” the files to submit the refund. But when taxpayers try to access these, it turns out to be a malicious file.<\/p>\n Even worse, you will see a link to a website that appears to be similar to IRS.gov, and the site will offer a temporary or one-use password to receive your taxpayer information. However, if you click on those links or provide information, your computer and data will be phished by malicious software and hacked.<\/p>\n Scammers like to keep consumers on their toes. The more complicated and cutting edge the scam, the more people they’ll con. For this new scam, consumers appear to receive contact from the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS). TAS is a real service to protect consumer rights.<\/p>\n However, in this case, the scammer “spoofs” their phone number to make it look like it’s from the IRS. As the name implies, consumers go to TAS for help with consumer rights. When a scammer uses TAS, as their cover, they’ll reach out to you unprovoked. The scammer will act hostile and frustrated, unless you pay a fee or fine they will claim that you owe. They’ll keep your money and your information.<\/p>\n Imagine doing an online search and seeing dozens of copycat websites. There are so many fraudulent websites out there that it is difficult for the government to stop them all. While some of these web pages won’t break the law, they also won’t be the site you want. Trusting them will result in outside services you don’t need or erroneous charges.<\/p>\n Other sites are fraudulent and phish your information. If you click to download or on a link, your computer will become hacked by malware. Once hackers gain control of your device or computer, they can track every keystroke and get your passwords to sensitive accounts and your finances. This can lead to financial ruin.<\/p>\n A scammer who has your information can do many things with it. One option they have is to use your information to file a tax return and get the funds back from you through lies and excuses. They might make many excuses as to why, such as saying you had a direct deposit in error, etc. Once you give them the money, you’ll never see it again and have a hard time straightening everything out with your bank and the IRS.<\/p>\n You can save yourself the nightmare of being duped by scammers by knowing the facts. The IRS will NOT:<\/p>\n These are some common IRS scam warning signs:<\/p>\n First, contact the Social Security Administration and explain what happened. Request a credit freeze from the major reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) and opt for credit monitoring. File a police report and contact all of your financial institutions from banks to credit cards and ask for safety monitoring for your accounts.<\/p>\n While it is more common to receive spam and scam calls than not, you can use education to spread the word and reduce scams. Search Social Catfish<\/a> and track your scammers by name, verify email authenticity, phone number, photograph, and username.<\/p>\nTaxpayer Advocate Service Numbers<\/h3>\n
Rampant Copycat Websites<\/h3>\n
Erroneous Refunds<\/h3>\n
How to Identify Tax Scams<\/h2>\n[aesop_image img=”https:\/\/socialcatfish.com\/scamfish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/My-Post-2.jpg” panorama=”off” imgwidth=”100%” align=”center” lightbox=”off” captionsrc=”custom” captionposition=”left” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off”]\n
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Warning Signs of a Tax Scam<\/h2>\n[aesop_image img=”https:\/\/socialcatfish.com\/scamfish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/My-Post-4.jpg” panorama=”off” imgwidth=”100%” align=”center” lightbox=”off” captionsrc=”custom” captionposition=”left” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off”]\n
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If You Believe You’ve Been Scammed:<\/h2>\n