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Every year, the IRS issues its annual "Dirty Dozen" list focusing on common scams criminals are using to try to fleece taxpayers. What’s new this year is that scammers are leveraging the ongoing coronavirus pandemic to steal Economic Impact Payments, or even posing as fake charitable organizations. Here are some tips from the IRS for avoiding scam.
Phishing
The IRS will never initiate contact with taxpayers over email about a tax bill, refund or Economic Impact Payment. Be wary of any emails that have links claiming to be from the agency, as they could be scams to steal personal information.
Fake Charities
Criminals will use natural disasters and the pandemic to their advantage. Scammers may use websites, emails or texts with names similar to legitimate charities to trick people into sending money or providing personal financial information. Taxpayers can find legitimate charities with the search tool on IRS.gov.
Threatening Impersonator Phone Calls
The IRS continues to warn about criminals—impersonating IRS agents—calling taxpayers and threatening them with police arrest, deportation and license revocation, among other things. While the IRS generally contacts taxpayers by mail, under the private debt collection program, private collection firms call taxpayers directly and identify themselves as contractors of the IRS. One of NTEU’s arguments against privatizing tax collection is that the program confuses taxpayers who have been told repeatedly they will not receive calls from the IRS. NTEU continues to urge Congress and the IRS to leave the collection work to professional IRS employees.
Social Media Scams
Using personal information, a scammer may email a potential victim and include a link to something of interest to the recipient which contains malware intended to commit more crimes. Scammers can infiltrate personal emails and cell phones, targeting the victim’s personal network with fake emails that appear to be real and text messages soliciting donations to fake charities.
EIP or Refund Theft
In 2020, criminals have focused on attempting to steal Economic Impact Payments. Consult the Coronavirus Tax Relief page of IRS.gov for assistance. If you believe you may be a victim of identity theft, visit the Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft on IRS.gov.
Senior Fraud
This year, seniors should be on alert for any suspicious fake emails, text messages, websites and social media contact attempts aimed at stealing personal information.
Targeting Non-English Speakers
IRS impersonators and other scammers often target groups with limited English proficiency. One common scam involves a taxpayer receiving a call “from the IRS” threatening jail time, deportation or revocation of a driver's license.
Visit the full-list of the ‘Dirty Dozen’ scams here.