Tax Fraud is an ongoing battle, one of which the IRS, and our team here at PHD Tax, takes very seriously. Recently, there has been a rise in IRS Phone Call and Email Scams. You may receive an IRS-Impersonation Telephone Scam: a phone call or voice message from a person or computer claiming to be the IRS. They are often aggressive and sound convincing. Victims are told they owe money to the IRS, and the caller will try to get personal information or payment via credit card information wire transfer.
Another scam you may receive are via emails. This is called “Phishing” and the email will ask you to update your IRS e-file and will take you to a look-alike website. These websites can be very convincing and will attempt to get personal information from you.
As of August 2014, the TIGTA (Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration) received more than 90,000 complaints through its telephone hotline. Any tax payer can be targeted through these scams, but the IRS identifies recent immigrants as potential victims, and may threatened with deportation or arrest.
If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be IRS, hang up. If you receive an email from a website claiming to be IRS, do not click on the links or respond. Make sure you never give them your personal information. Contact your tax preparer or visit the IRS website for a list of recent scams the IRS has been alerted to. You can report the scam by filling out a form on the TIGTA website.
The IRS will never contact you via phone or emails. If the IRS needs to contact you, they will send a letter via regular mail. Forward any IRS correspondence to your Tax Preparer, they will advise you on the proper course of action. For additional information, read more about what to do when you receive an IRS notice.
Both PHD Tax and the IRS urges you to observe practices to keep yourself safe from Identity Theft all year long. Read more about how to protect yourself from Identity Theft on our website, and for more links to the IRS website to better inform yourself.
If you receive a phone call, voice message, email, or letter from anyone claiming to be the IRS, contact your Tax Preparer. They will advise you on the proper course of action. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted by a scam, you have received a real notice from the IRS, or would like to speak with us to learn more, contact the office, (425) 242-0636, or via email, office@phd-tax.com.
