Dayton Daily News

IRS warns of tax scam emails, calls

Crooks take advantage of people expecting questions on returns.

- By Joyce M. Rosenberg

Months after business NEW YORK — owners and other taxpayers have filed their returns with the IRS, thieves try to scam people out of money or personal informatio­n.

Although scammers operate year-round, the IRS says they step up their activities in the summer, when taxpayers can expect to hear from the agency with questions about returns filed during March and April. Thieves typically use phone calls or emails that sound or look official, and that can sound threatenin­g. The scammers’ hope is people will believe it’s really a call from the IRS or that they’ll click on a link in the email, allowing cyberthiev­es to invade their devices and steal informatio­n.

One important fact can help protect against falling for a scam: The IRS does not initiate contact with business owners or other taxpayers by phone or emails seeking personal informatio­n like Social Security numbers or credit card numbers. If the agency has questions or needs to inform a taxpayer about a problem, it usually will do so via U.S. mail. It does not leave pre-recorded messages or make threats — some scammers have warned their targets will be arrested if they don’t return calls.

Another important fact: The IRS must give taxpayers a chance to appeal a tax bill before it takes any action against them.

Email scams are very common and the IRS says they do target small businesses. They include phishing scams that encourage or demand email recipients click on links or attachment­s. That click gives cyberthiev­es access to informatio­n like passwords and in turn, money in bank or credit card accounts. Owners and their employees should never click on anything in an email unless they are certain it’s legitimate.

Dealing with phone calls or voicemails is easier: Hang up on the caller or delete the voicemail.

Sometimes the scams do arrive by mail. The IRS recently warned about a new scam that claims a recipient owes taxes to a bogus agency, the Bureau of Tax Enforcemen­t, and directs how and where to pay the bill. There is no such bureau in the government. Many scams about taxes purportedl­y owed demand payment using a specific method like a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. However, the IRS does not use those methods. Scammers may also specify who a check should be made out to, and it’s likely to be a fake name.

All legitimate tax payments by check must be made out to “US Treasury.”

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States