Tag Archive for IRS Scammers

Need For Greater Tax Literacy And Regulation of Preparers

I was shocked by the March 13, 2015 IRS release warning individuals to chose their tax professional carefully. The IRS found that some “unscrupulous preparers” instructed their clients to make individual shared responsibility payment directly to the preparer! That is stealing!

I fault the clients, preparers and the complex system.

The IRS has tried to regulate all return preparers but been held up by a need for a statute change that Congress will have to address (see quick summary from IRS on this). Of course, truly unscrupulous people will still find a way around the law.

So, more is needed to educate individuals about the tax system so they better understand Read More

Written by | Posted in Individual • Tax Tips

The One Thing IRS Tax Scammers Hope You Don’t Know

The ongoing IRS tax scam that has topped the Dirty Dozen list for the past three years is the phone call where the person on the other end impersonates an IRS agent. These scammers target the most vulnerable taxpayers, which include the elderly, recent immigrants and those whose first language is not English. These scammers are counting on those Americans not being aware of how the IRS works.

So, in this case, just one bit of knowledge goes a long way in foiling the IRS scammers’ attempts at stealing your refund or filing a false tax return in your name.

Here is the only thing you really need to know. The IRS doesn’t call, they send a formal letter. Sear this into your brain. Read More

Written by | Posted in IRS • Tax Fraud/Evasion/Crimes