Be on the lookout for tax scams

Tax season is here and if your like me you are probably under a lot of stress to get your documents in order before the April 15 deadline. Or perhaps you are filing an extension and will not worry about it until later this year. Regardless here are what I consider the two most common tax scams. And how to recognize them. Scammers are getting smarter and smarter every day

"Be wary of anyone who asks for personal information or wants payment right now. "

1.Phishing

This is a fancy word that has serious implications for you. This is usually done by sending you an email stating they are the IRS. STOP! IRS.gov states on their website that they will never initiate contact with you regarding a tax bill or refund via email. If you have not received mail or a phone call from the IRS you will not get an email. If you receive an email from what appears to be the IRS, reach out to your accountant or your IT Professional, or a trusted family member or friend. Be sure to verify this is really the IRS before you engage with them. The key fact about scammers is they will not want you to talk to anyone else only them about the refund or bill they are contacting you about.

2.Phone Scams

I have written about these before see Blog 12/26/17. These are usually the same scammers with a different story. They pretend to be the IRS, they will call you to give you a refund or with an outstanding tax bill. They may threaten you with prison time or deportation sometimes wage garnishment. The IRS will not begin by threatening you with consequences. If you are surprised by the call then it is likely you are being scammed. The IRS will work out payment plans for you, they are not going to demand money the same day.

The key thing to remember is reach out to a trusted family member friend or professional. It is okay to ask for help. Scammers are trained to confuse and scare you. Do not get caught up in their lies and deception.
If you think you are being scammed reach out to me I can help you understand what is a scam and what is not and refer you to a professional if you need one.

More information is available on these and other concerns in the IRS dirty dozen 
-Nate

Nate is an IT Professional based in Ohio. He owns DataCom Technologies and serves corporate and consumer customers with managed IT and cyber security services. Visit his website