The IRS has recently noted that there has been an increase in tax scam attempts. Scammers may try to steal money or sensitive data by impersonating the IRS or state and local tax agencies and contacting the taxpayer through email or text. They may tell the victim that they have an unpaid tax that must be paid immediately, or that they are due a tax refund that does not really exist, or that their account is on hold, and they will attempt to have the victim provide information that can lead to identity theft. It is important for taxpayers to be vigilant in preventing fraud and identity theft not only during tax season, but year-round. Remember that the IRS will never initiate contact in the form of an electronic communication. If you do receive an email or text from someone claiming to be with the IRS, immediately send it to your tax professional and do not click any links.
Earlier this year, the IRS issued its annual Dirty Dozen list that highlights some common persuasive schemes impacting businesses, including new client scams, spear phishing, fake charities, bad social media advice and false credit claims. Following is a list of common ones with links to IRS articles describing the detailed scams.
Charity impersonators
Credits and refunds misinformation
Disaster fraud
Dishonest tax preparers
Email and text message impersonators
Seniors targeted
Social media bad tax advice and scams
Tax debt settlement or relief services
Unclaimed tax refund
Unemployment claims identity theft
Unexpected tax bill
W-2 Form fraud
It is important for taxpayers to be vigilant in preventing fraud and identity theft not only during tax season, but year-round. Remember that the IRS will never initiate contact in the form of an electronic communication. If you do receive an email or text from someone claiming to be with the IRS, immediately send it to your tax professional and do not click any links.
The IRS has provided several avenues for taxpayers to report scams:
- Report suspicious IRS or tax-related scams to phishing@irs.gov.
- Inform the IRS of data losses related to W-2 scams at dataloss@irs.gov.
- Notify states of any disclosures of identity information at statealert@taxadmin.org.
For more information, see this article from the IRS: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-reminds-taxpayers-and-small-businesses-to-look-out-for-scams