The IRS has released its annual list of the top 12 tax scams. Make sure the tax advice you’re following isn’t on this list.
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If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
That well-worn maxim applies to many things in life.
Including, of course, tax advice.
Someone saying you don’t need to pay taxes? Others claiming they can help you hide money off shore?
It’s all too good to be true.
In fact, some
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For some reason the IRS did not release an updated “Dirty Dozen Tax Scam List” for 2013. This annual list of tax scams and “phishing” expeditions warns taxpayers about scams that range from tax identity theft to tax evasion. As tax day draws near, scams and schemes tend to peak as people get their tax returns ready for the April 15th deadline. I updated information from the Tax Resolution University
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Happy Friday! Here’s a look at the top tax relief stories of the week:
Tax Scams, Tax Schemes and Identity Theft

New tax scams are appearing all the time these days – this week was no exception. The latest IRS announcement warns consumers NOT to fall for phony IRS websites including a new one that mimics the IRS e-Services online registration page and looks official. The tipoff: This email asks for personal
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Last month I wrote a post about the “real life” identity theft case of Big Biz Show radio and TV personality Robert “Sully” Sullivan. Sully came to the Tax Resolution Services offices to tell me he was the victim of identity theft and inquire as to what he should do next. Identity theft negatively affects hundreds of thousands of Americans every year who file their tax returns only to discover
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It’s nice to see that a tax scheme involving identity theft was thwarted. A recent article in the Miami Herald entitled Two South Florida Men Plead Guilty in IRS Tax-Refund Scheme reports that two men, Jean LaFrance, and Carlos Orozco used stolen social security records to submit false tax returns to the IRS over the past year. Both men were volunteers at the Pembroke Pines Social Security Office and had
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Some taxpayers have a tendency to overstate their income or expenses. The IRS “Dirty Dozen” Tax Scam # 6 – False and Inflated Income and Expenses makes this list annually simply because taxpayers still believe they can get away with it. What many don’t anticipate is that stepped-up IRS scrutiny of their flawed returns will yield not only IRS problems for them but also less money in their pockets as
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A recent Forbes article by Kelly Phillip Serb entitled Tax Appeal is a Scam gives readers a look at just how pervasive the tax scams are becoming out there. Upon first glance, this e-mail may look official to some of you, but scan the document and scratch the surface like Kelly did and you’ll get a sense that some things “just aren’t right.”

The text in the e-mail reads:
Dear Accountant Officer,
Hereby
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At Tax Resolution Services, we all agree that tax evasion is never a good idea.  People who pull tax scams, such as filing false tax returns, may feel like they are lining their pockets with money at the moment, but the money does no good once they are in prison.  Tax cheats usually end up in prison and with a hefty fine to boot, as in the example below.
The manager
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At Tax Resolution Services we are constantly seeking the best options for clients who are settling back tax debt.  Some people have heard about the Offer in Compromise program – a tax settlement program between the consumer and the IRS – but don’t know all the facts about it.  Below is a great question by a tax client that addresses most people’s concerns about the Offer in Compromise program and
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Tax attorneys and Certified Tax Resolution Specialists make up our team at Tax Resolution Services.  An experienced tax attorney can help solve tax problems at both the state and federal levels.  Tax Resolution Services’ tax attorneys have helped many people with IRS payment plans, securing Offer in Compromise settlements, release of tax liens and IRS bank levies and many other tax relief services.   The one area that Tax Resolution Services cannot help with is tax scams.�
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As I’ve blogged before, tax scams will only get you in trouble with the law!  If you are having tax problems, seek professional tax help.  Tax Resolution Services can help you find tax relief as we have helped many others.  Our tax help testimonials speak for themselves!  Our Offer in Compromise tax settlement rate is $0.13 on the dollar!  Read more about our tax relief road map - what to expect when resolving
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With people looking for ways to save money this year, the tax-scam artists are having a field day. But here are the 12 tax scams you are most likely to encounter
By Michael Rozbruch
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April 15 has come and gone. You can check off one more line in the Death and Taxes column.
But that doesn’t mean you should relax. With identity theft on the rise and scamsters preying on taxpayers looking for a
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Victims of dishonest tax return preparers can end up in a world of tax trouble – it’s no wonder return preparer fraud made this year’s IRS Dirty Dozen list of common scams taxpayers should avoid.  The promise of large refunds may be all too tempting in this challenging economy – but taxpayers should still choose their tax preparer wisely.
With IRS enforcement on the rise, struggling taxpayers do not want to
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According to the IRS annual Dirty Dozen list of most common tax schemes, phishing “expeditions”  are on the rise this year along with frivolous tax arguments.  I even got a phishy email the other day.  These scam email look real too.. on IRS simulated letterhead complete with the logo and all.
It’s no surprise that these tax scams are being peddled to Americans in full force -  as IRS enforcement is
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I want to warn everyone about a new email tax scam that has been circulating. It is targeted at  “non-resident aliens” who are asked to fill out 2 official-looking IRS forms that are attached and fax them back to a 646 area code number.
The email header reads:

From: Internal Revenue Service [mailto:nonereply@irs.gov]
Subject: please see the attachment
According to the IRS web site:
A bogus IRS letter and Form W-8BEN (Certificate of Foreign
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