Consumer Complaints of IRS Phone and Email Fraud Still Prevalent

The IRS today warned taxpayers to steer clear of a number of current email and phone fraud attempts that use the “Internal Revenue Service” name as a lure. The IRS expects that the fraud will continue for the next few months.

The IRS warned taxpayers to keep an eye out for scams that offer upfront or fast payment checks. The government has yet to implement such a program, but scam artists are using former IRS proposals to format emails that make it seem like an official offer.

The objective of the scam is to fool individuals into divulging personal and financial information. From there, the thief uses the information in order to commit identity theft which can ultimately destroy your credit and drain your finances. When these crimes are committed online, it allows the culprit to quickly cover their tracks and continue to more victims.

Individuals whose identities have been thieved can spend an indeterminate amount of time and resources cleaning up the mess that’s left behind. Furthermore, victims are often refused loans, denied jobs, and even arrested for crimes they didn’t commit.

The latest scams known by the Internal Revenue Service are described in more detail below.

Refund Telephone Call

One major (and successful) scheme using the word “rebate” has been identified. In this scam, the individual receives a telephone call from somebody identifying himself as an IRS employee. The caller convinces the victim that they are qualified to receive a large check for filing their taxes early. The victim is then told to give up their personal information otherwise the refund cannot be issued.

There has not yet been any legislation passed that would permit the IRS to provide upfront refunds, and there is no way the IRS can force a taxpayer to receive their refund via direct deposit-eliminating the need for a taxpayer to ever be required to give out their bank account information. The IRS will also never ask you to provide your bank account information over the phone.

Refund Email

This scam is the same as the telephone attempt, except it is delievered to you in the form of an email. The email will appear to be coming from the IRS and offer you an extra refund for having filed early or on time. It will usually re-direct you to a landing page where you are asked to type in your personal info in order to receive the money.

The IRS will never send you an unsolicited email regarding your account. If you receive an email like this, disregard it.

If you owe money to the IRS or are facing IRS tax problems, call the professionals at JG Tax Group today and secure your financial future.