The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued a warning this week about common scams, as part of an annual effort it calls the “Dirty Dozen.”
Earlier this week, the agency warned about scams specifically geared towards taking relief money and other aid distributed in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Scammers continue using the pandemic as a device to scare or confuse potential victims into handing over their hard-earned money or personal information,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in the release. “I urge everyone to be leery of suspicious calls, texts, and emails promising benefits that don’t exist.”
The scams can work in a few different ways. They can involve phony applications, fake job offers, and offers to help people get their benefits.
“Caution and awareness are our best lines of defense against these criminals,” Rettig added. “Everyone should verify information on a trusted government website, such as IRS.gov.”
The agency, they said in the release, has finished distributing the Economic Impact Payments, also known as stimulus checks, so offers of new ones are likely not genuine.
The IRS also says that they’ll never “initiate contact by phone, email, text or social media asking for Social Security numbers or other personal or financial information related to Economic Impact Payments.”
In addition to fake job offers and scams involving stimulus payments, this year’s “Dirty Dozen” scams, as enumerated by the IRS, include “Use…
