This year, as you are getting ready to file your taxes, keep in mind that there are con artists out there targeting unsuspecting tax filers and who may try to scam you out of your tax refund money.
Tax scams are on the rise, and according to the National Consumers League (NCL), the two most common tax scams are both phishing schemes. You might be contacted by phone by someone claiming to be from the IRS, where the caller asks for your checking account number so that you can have your refund sent directly to your bank.
Or, you may receive an e-mail that asks you to follow a link and verify some personal information in order for your tax refund to be processed.
The NCL’s Fraud Center offers some advice to help you be ready,and avoid being a victim:
- Be immediately suspicious if someone claiming to be from the IRS contacts you.
- Never give out any personal information. A legitimate agency should already have your contact information on file.
- Ask the caller to send you follow up information by postal mail, or hang up and call the agency’s number yourself to find out if the offer is authentic.
Additionally, watch out for some of these tricks that tax scammers might try:
- Beware of offers that provide tax relief, or reduced tax payments.
- A con artist claiming to be a government representative calling to begin payment of rebates.
- Tax filing services that claim to file on your behalf but reroute your refund to their own accounts.
The IRS won’t contact you by e-mail about account issues. If you have any doubt about whether a contact from the IRS is authentic, call the IRS customer service number toll-free (1-800-829-1040) to confirm it. Additionally, if you think you have been approached about a tax scam, check out NCL’s Fraud Center at http://www.fraud.org for more information about how you can report any suspicious activity.
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