It’s that time of year when we do our taxes — but it’s also the same time that tax scammers go to work. What scams should you watch for — and how can you avoid being victimized?
Sadly, the list of scams is pretty long, including demands for payment or requests for “additional information” pertaining to your tax refund, in which the sender asks for your Social Security number and other personal information. These scam emails can look quite official, often incorporating the IRS logo. You might also receive scam text messages containing bogus links claiming to be the IRS website or an online “tool” that can help process your refund faster.
But keep these points in mind:
• The IRS generally won’t contact you by phone and won’t contact you by email, text messages or social media channels to ask for personal or financial information. The IRS begins most correspondence to taxpayers through regular mail delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.
• The IRS won’t call to demand you make an immediate payment through a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. If you owe taxes, the IRS generally will mail you a bill. And the IRS won’t threaten to bring in the police or another law enforcement group to arrest you for not paying your taxes.
In general, be extremely skeptical about any type of communication purporting to be from the IRS that sounds bullying or over-inquisitive — and certainly don’t give out any personal or financial information. But…
