Every year the IRS issues its “Dirty Dozen” report to highlight the biggest scams that the public needs to avoid.
The IRS has released the following press release:
This year’s “Dirty Dozen” list highlights a wide variety of schemes that taxpayers may encounter throughout the year, many of which peak during tax-filing season. The schemes can run the gamut from simple refund inflation scams to technical tax shelter deals. A common theme throughout these: Scams put taxpayers at risk. Read More
WASHINGTON ― The Internal Revenue Service is cautioning taxpayers to avoid the dangers of “ghost” tax return preparers.
According to the IRS, a ghost preparer is paid to prepare a tax return, but does not sign it, either electronically or on paper, as the paid preparer. These phantom preparers who won’t put their name on the tax return are a warning sign for taxpayers of a potential scam.
Here’s how it works. The ghost preparer can print the paper return for their client and tells them to sign and mail it to the IRS. Or, for electronically-filed returns, they will prepare it but won’t digitally sign it as the paid preparer. Read More
(Bloomberg) “You must pay your taxes immediately, or else,” an ominous voice on the other line says before demanding a credit-card number. Most Americans roll their eyes and hang up on these scam calls, but thousands have fallen victim, and millennials are more susceptible than older generations, a new study finds.
Millennials are less likely than Gen Xers or Baby Boomers to receive tax scam phone calls, according to a recent survey, but they were six times more likely than older generations to give the scammer their credit-card numbers, and twice as likely to give their Social Security numbers. Read More
People can avoid taking the bait and falling victim to a scam by knowing how and when the IRS does contact a taxpayer in person. This can help someone determine whether an individual is truly an IRS employee.
Here are eight things to know about in-person contacts from the IRS. Read More
All over the television, and in your spam email box, there are advertisements for IRS settlements. These companies can help you lower your IRS debt for a fee, customers say they paid a minimal amount, blah blah. Is this a scam? Well, most likely. There is a possibility of a settlement for your IRS debt, but you definitely do not need to pay horrendous fees to a company to do it for you.
Here are some tips:
1.An IRS settlement is called an Offer in Compromise.
2. The IRS cannot accept a settlement if you can actually afford to pay your bill. If you know this is you, check out the payment plan options on the IRS website.
TaxConnections has a wonderful team of engineers supporting us and we learn new things every day. Today, I almost got snookered by this group my IT guy and I tracked down to the Bahamas this morning. Here is the scam as it took me by surprise! Keeping our worldwide tax network safe from these scoundrels it my intention so read what happened to me today! I am looking at my computer screen this morning and this view below pops up on my screen. Read More
As the tax season heats up, so does the activity of the scammers. These scammers, who feed on people’s innate fear of the IRS, use this opportunity to place themselves right at the top of their game. I have heard of many instances of people receiving calls from individuals purporting to be IRS officers, who are making demands for payment of taxes on underreported income, and threatening imprisonment and/or seizure of assets if you do not comply with their demands. Also, they seek to obtain your personal information in the process.
Allow me to state categorically that these people are NOT IRS officers! When the IRS raises an assessment, they NEVER contact you initially by telephone. The typical MO of the IRS is to send you a written notice in the mail. This notice gives you the opportunity Read More
Most of my clients from around the world make their initial contact by email. It is usually a result of my website, blog posts (published on Tax Connections) and Avvo. Usually, they need a lawyer to negotiate a contract or deal with the IRS or State Tax agencies.
When I get an email from a foreign business, even if the English is not perfect, I respond. Unfortunately, the scam artists love a response and try their version of the famous “Nigerian Scam.” The trick usually works that I need to review a simple contract, receive payment from the buyer, deposit it in my trust account and immediately send the money (minus an unusually hefty fee) to them. Of course the check is no good and they will sucker me. Read More
This week the ATO warned taxpayers to “…be aware of fraudsters as they target people lodging their income tax returns by the 31 October deadline”. It was revealed that 45,588 reports of actual or attempted tax scams had been recorded during the year to 30 June. The ATO encouraged taxpayers to report scams directly to them.
Chief Technology Officer Todd Heather said “This year we are seeing more targeted scams sent to taxpayers where the perpetrators make the email more convincing by using the latest ATO website imagery and the names and signatures of real ATO staff”. He also noted “…a nasty phone scam where taxpayers are threatened with arrest if they do not pay a fake tax debt over the phone”. Read More
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