Tax season
is upon us, which means we all need to be on the lookout for a new round of tax
scams.
Each year,
scammers pretending to be with the IRS steal money from thousands of victims.
The IRS says it doesn’t make threatening phone calls – if you do owe back
taxes, you’ll get a letter.
“If
you ever get a text message or an email, don’t click any links don’t respond to
those. And if you if you get a phone call threatening legal action, just hang
up,” says Tammy Tomlins.
Scammers
don’t just impersonate the IRS. If you use one of the large tax preparation
companies, beware of emails claiming to be from them, seeking sensitive
information.
The IRS
says one of the most common ways people get scammed is by using a fraudulent
tax preparer.
Their
advice – choose a preparer who is available year-round.
Make sure
they have a tax preparer ID or P-TIN.
Don’t use a
preparer who won’t sign your returns.
And beware
of any preparer who promises large refunds.
The IRS
also says it never asks for payment in unorthodox ways, like gift cards.