The Department of Revenue continues to warn Pennsylvanians of a new scam in which fraudsters are sending phony letters to Pennsylvania business owners to try to trick them into turning over their accounting records.
The fraudulent letters include the Department of Revenue’s name and logo, leading the recipients of the letter to believe that they are under investigation for failing to pay Pennsylvania taxes.
“This is another example of the fact that fraudsters are working every day on scams just like this one, so that they can steal from hardworking Pennsylvanians,” Revenue Secretary Dan Hassell said in a July 22 news release. “We want to do everything that we can to help educate the public so that they know how to identify scams like this one and take the appropriate steps to protect themselves.”
The goal of this scam is to make recipients of the letter believe they are being investigated by the Department of Revenue for an “alleged violation of delinquent sales tax liability.” The letter threatens taxpayers by saying penalties will be imposed on their accounts.
The letter includes contact information for a “Resolution Officer” and urges the business owner to provide accounting records prepared by a licensed professional, such as an attorney or CPA.
Providing this information allows the scammers to comb through the accounting…
