Taxpayers shouldn’t let gift card scammers ruin the holidays – L’Observateur

During the holiday season, taxpayers should be aware of gift card scams thieves commonly use this time of year. Con artists will target taxpayers by asking them to pay a fake tax bill with gift cards. They may also use a compromised email account to send emails requesting gift card purchases for friends, family or co-workers.

This scam is easy to avoid if taxpayers remember that the IRS never asks for or accepts gift cards as payment for a tax bill.

Here’s how this scam usually happens:

• The most common way scammers request gift cards is over the phone through a government impersonation scam. However, they will also request gift cards by sending a text message, email or through social media.
• A scammer posing as an IRS agent will call the taxpayer or leave a voicemail with a callback number informing the taxpayer that they are linked to some criminal activity. For example, the scammer will tell the taxpayer their identify has been stolen and used to open fake bank accounts.
• The scammer will threaten or harass the taxpayer by telling them that they must pay a fictitious tax penalty.
• The scammer instructs the…