Pet scam criminals often use free websites, Craig’s List, local newspapers, or Facebook to advertise pets that do not exist. Phone scams again made the IRS’ Dirty Dozen list, an annual compilation of some of the schemes that threaten taxpayers not only during filing season but throughout the year. The IRS also urges taxpayers to help protect themselves against phone scams and identity theft by reviewing safety tips prepared by the Security Summit, a collaborative effort between the IRS, states and the private-sector tax community. The IRS highlighted the “Dirty Dozen” scam list in separate news releases over 12 weekdays. In addition to today’s scams the IRS will highlight the other schemes over the next three days. This is not surprising, considering the enormous number of WhatsApp users, which as of February 2020 stood at over 2 billion users worldwide, and counting. The first contact via phone may be automated meaning scammers can reach a huge number of targets very easily. “Taxpayers should be on the lookout for unexpected and aggressive phone calls purportedly coming from the IRS,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. The vast majority of taxpayers pay their fair share, and everyone should be on the lookout for people peddling tax shelters that sound too good to be true. This can give you a good sense of whether or not the apartment you’re looking at is above or below market value. It’s a good idea to freeze your credit report with the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Carding, which is a process where computer programmers generate a sequence of credit card numbers, then test them online to see which belong to valid accounts. This content h as been g enerated by GSA Content Generator DEMO.
Malicious emails and websites can infect a taxpayer’s computer with malware without the user knowing it. Phishing is a scam typically carried out through unsolicited email and/or websites that pose as legitimate sites and lure unsuspecting victims to provide personal and financial information. Taxpayers should not provide their direct deposit or other banking information for others to input on their behalf into the secure portal. Anytime a taxpayer receives an unexpected refund and a call from us out of the blue demanding a refund repayment, they should reach out to their banking institution and to the IRS. Both TIGTA and the IRS Criminal Investigation division are aware of the scam. For those participating in these schemes, such activity can lead to significant penalties and possible criminal prosecution. Quick reference chart outlines how to report suspected tax fraud activity in different situations. In this case, the tax preparers are being asked to email documents that would disclose their identities and EFINs to the thieves. Threats like these are common tactics scam artists use to trick victims into believing their schemes. But seeking out unverified services is a common path to a student loan forgiveness scam. Don’t fall for common scams like this – fight them! Name ID goes a step above and lets you send certain calls, like telemarketer, political and nuisance calls straight to voicemail. Ask for the name and contact information of the “shipper” the advertiser plans to use. The first step will be getting the money out of the country in your name and then disbursement will follow, I have no fear but faith that God is with me.
WASHINGTON – As the April filing deadline approaches, the Internal Revenue Service today warned taxpayers to be alert to tax time phone scams where aggressive criminals pose as IRS agents in hopes of stealing money or personal information. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre collects information on fraud and identity theft. Data breach thefts have given thieves millions of identity data points including names, addresses, Social Security numbers and email addresses. There are some dishonest preparers who operate each filing season to scam clients, perpetuate refund fraud, identity theft and other scams that hurt taxpayers. Inflated Refund Claims: Taxpayers should take note of anyone promising inflated tax refunds. Be sure to take a copy of the emails with all the telephone numbers, names, email addresses, etc. of the scammers. Be wary of emails and websites that may be nothing more than scams to steal personal information. Don’t give your financial or personal information to someone who calls, texts, emails, or messages you on social media and says they’re with the government. Taxpayers should watch not only for emails but text messages, websites and social media attempts that request money or personal information. Have you seen ads promising easy money if you shrink-wrap your car – with ads for brands like Monster Energy, Red Bull, or Pepsi? Tax preparers should be wary of unsolicited email from personal or business contacts especially the more commonly observed scams, like new client solicitations. The IRS warns taxpayers, businesses and tax professionals to be alert for a continuing surge of fake emails, text messages, websites and social media attempts to steal personal information.
The Abusive Transaction Hotline provides people a way to share information (anonymously, if preferred) about abusive tax shelters and emerging issues that may be abusive in retirement plans. These con artists may have some of the taxpayer’s information, including their address, the last four digits of their Social Security number or other personal details. An international contact number is another major sign something is amiss. If you have questions, the only way to confirm a companies membership in IPATA is to contact IPATA directly. Stop contact with the scammer; simply ignore their email or telephone calls or block them. These may include email solicitations to support a fake COVID-19 charity. This scam began with low volumes of email but quickly escalated into volumes as high as 200,000 emails in a single day. Criminals increasingly target tax professionals, deploying various types of phishing emails in an attempt to access client data. As part of phishing schemes, scammers sometimes ask taxpayers about a wide range of topics, such as refunds, filing status, confirming personal information, ordering transcripts and verifying personal identification numbers. People are often unaware of another phishing method cyber attackers implement to access your information, and that is through Wi-Phishing.
