How To Avoid A Tax Scam

Do you know someone who got victimized by a tax scam? I got to tell you, for the victim, it’s pretty scary! Since by the time you figured out that something is not right, the IRS imposter already cleaned your wallet! So how can you avoid it?

Hello, this is Noel Dalmacio, your ultimate CPA at LowerMyTaxNow.

Fake IRS phone call is one of the most common scams. You need to be careful of phone calls or voicemail messages from someone who claims to be from the IRS. Often these criminals will say that you owe money and they will demand immediate payment. Other times, they will lie to you and say you have a refund. They will ask for your bank information over the phone.

So in order for you not to fall for these scams, here are some tips that you can use:

IRS will NOT:
• Call you demanding that you pay them right now. IRS usually correspond via mail.
• Demand payment without giving you the chance to ask question or appeal the amount you owed.
• Ask for your debit or credit card numbers over the phone.
• Require you to pay your taxes with a prepaid debit card.
• Threaten to contact your local police to arrest you for non-payment of taxes.
• Threaten you with lawsuit.

If you don’t owe or think you don’t owe any tax, you should:
• Contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration or TIGTA. You can go to www.treasury.gov/tigta and use the TIGTA’s “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” web page to report the incident.
• Report what happened to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the “FTC Complaint Assistant” on FTC.gov. Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments of your report.

To summarize, tax scams usually reach it’s peak during tax season. So, in order for you not to fall for these scams, please review and use the tips that I’ve discussed so you can avoid being a victim.

If you like to learn more, click the link lowermytaxnow.com and sign-in to receive my weekly blog.

Until then, this is Noel Dalmacio, your ultimate CPA at lowermytaxnow.com.