{"id":1582,"date":"2015-09-17T13:18:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-17T17:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fluentricciardi.com\/?p=1582"},"modified":"2022-01-31T13:19:27","modified_gmt":"2022-01-31T17:19:27","slug":"irs-sends-new-urgent-warnings-to-taxpayers-about-scam-artists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fluentricciardi.com\/irs-sends-new-urgent-warnings-to-taxpayers-about-scam-artists\/","title":{"rendered":"IRS Sends New, Urgent Warnings To Taxpayers About Scam Artists"},"content":{"rendered":"
Unfortunately, when the tax season ends and most people stop thinking about tax issues, the tax scammers are just getting started. Their year-round commitment to finding new scams means taxpayers must remain vigilant and well informed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Here are several tips, taken directly from the most\u00a0recent tips<\/a>\u00a0from the IRS, to help you avoid becoming a victim of these scams:<\/p>\n As noted by the IRS, some of the scammers will even go so far as giving potential victims directions to a nearby bank where victims can acquire the means to pay the fake IRS agent with a debit card. As this scam has evolved, criminals might also give the victim a legitimate IRS address to mail a receipt for the payment. They go to such lengths to convince the victim the scam is official IRS business.<\/p>\n The con artist\u2019s primary weapon is fear. They use aggressive tactics to provoke an immediate, fearful reaction without slowing down or carefully thinking through the situation.<\/p>\n As\u00a0noted by the IRS<\/a>, scams have cost victims over $20 million:<\/p>\n The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, or TIGTA, has received reports of about 600,000 contacts since October 2013. TIGTA is also aware of nearly 4,000 victims who have collectively reported over $20 million in financial losses as a result of tax scams.<\/p>\n \u201cWe continue to see these aggressive tax scams across the country,\u201d IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said. \u201cScam artists specialize in being deceptive and fooling people. The IRS urges taxpayers to be extra cautious and think twice before answering suspicious phone calls, emails or letters.\u201d<\/p>\n Con artists pretending to be IRS agents have traditionally targeted vulnerable groups such as:<\/p>\n However, scammers, who are becoming bolder, are now targeting anyone.<\/p>\n The IRS\u00a0recently published<\/a>\u00a0the following \u201cDirty Dozen\u201d list for 2015, which highlights the most prevalent phone scams that con artists are using:<\/p>\n As it notes in its publications, the actual IRS will never do any of the following practices:<\/p>\n If you suspect anything suspicious when someone contacts you claiming to be an IRS agent — especially if you do not owe taxes or have any reason to think you would warrant contact from the IRS, then the IRS recommends the following actions:<\/p>\n However, if you do know that you owe taxes or think you might have some tax issue that needs resolution, you can deal with it by calling the IRS at 800-829-1040.\u00a0The IRS employees will help you if you do have unpaid tax obligations.<\/p>\n Also, always remember that the authentic IRS website is IRS.gov. Never use a website claiming to be the IRS that uses .com, org, .net, or any other address that is not .gov.<\/p>\n And never under any circumstance should you give personal information to a stranger contacting you out of the blue. It\u2019s best to hang up and call the IRS directly yourself using the number above.<\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n