The 5 Types of Tax Scams You Should Watch Out For!
Everyone is anxious for news of tax refunds and economic stimulus payments, right? Scam artists obviously think so. “Just click the link in this e-mail”, the IRS official apparently requests. Scam artists are luring U.S. taxpayers with claims of information about upcoming refunds and payments to collect information they can use for identity theft.
In 2008, so far, taxpayers reported to the IRS more than 1,600 such e-mails, known as “phishing” scams.
In most of these e-mails, the scam artists request detailed personal information. HOWEVER, the IRS does not generally send e-mails to taxpayers and the IRS NEVER requests security-related personal information, such as PIN numbers or Social Security numbers, from taxpayers.
Among currently circulating scams:
- Refund E-Mail Scam: Email message Informs the recipient he or she is eligible for a tax refund for a specific amount.
- Economic Stimulus Payments Scam: Email message Tells the taxpayer recipient he or she is eligible for an economic stimulus payment.
- Substitute Form 1040 Fax Scam: The letter (signed by “IRS Employee) says that the IRS is updating its files and that recipients who supply the requested information will receive a nominal tax refund.
- Company Report Scam: The e-mail says that the IRS has a report on the company and asks the recipient to review a copy by clicking on a link to download the report.
- Tax Court Scam: An e-mail that appears to come from the U.S. Tax Court and contains a petition involving a court case between the IRS and the recipient. The document instructs the recipient to download other files.
If you’ve received a questionable e-mail purporting to be from the IRS, government officials suggest you forward it to phishing@irs.gov.
To receive true professional tax expert assistance, call Tax Resolution Services.
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Tags: Phishing Tax Scams, Professional Tax experts, Protect Taxpayers, Tax Refunds, Tax Scam Artists
