IRS Scams: 3 Signs You Might Be the Victim

IRS Scams

It seems that scam artists and criminals have a plan for almost every situation, including tax time. It’s happening more and more frequently every year, and tax payers have to be vigilant about their income taxes, their personal information and your finances. It did happen that the IRS was hacked and the damages and information stolen was worse than previously thought, and that might make you the victim of a tax scam. We don’t know what criminals are up to at all times, but we do know that there are a few signs that you might be falling victim to a tax scam. When it comes to your 2017 income tax return, do not fall victim to these scams.

IRS Call Scams

The IRS phone scam is the oldest trick in the book. The IRS will send you documentation through the mail if you owe money or they need more information from you. They will not, however, call you asking for more information. In fact, if you receive a call from the IRS, ask for the representative’s extension and call them back using the official IRS phone number on the IRS website. And never, ever provide your personal information over the phone.

The IRS does not request information via email or Facebook

Sorry, but it’s true. The IRS does not ask you for any personal information via email. What this means is that you better not respond to any emails from the IRS requesting personal information, because they are scams.

Tax preparers ask you to inflate your information

When you allow a tax preparer to do your taxes and they suddenly begin to encourage you to over-inflate your information, it’s not a good idea. They want you to get a bigger refund so that they can get a bigger payout from you. Their fees are based on a percentage of your refund, and it’s one of the most common scams around.

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