Since the beginning of the pandemic, scammers have only gotten more creative. Let’s discuss some of the tax scams the IRS has recently warned taxpayers about.
2022 Tax Scams
At the beginning of February 2022, the IRS published a news release urging taxpayers to stay vigilant and to watch out for these recent tax scams.
Some of the big areas of interest this year include text message, email, and phone scams. There’s also been increasing unemployment fraud attempts.
Here are some of the tax scams to look out for, and some tips and tricks for determining if a message is legitimate or fraudulent.
Phone and Text Tax Scams
If you receive a call from the IRS, you probably didn’t receive a call from the real IRS. The IRS doesn’t ever leave intimidating, urgent, or aggressive voicemails for taxpayers. One of the most common tax scams includes a phone call in which the recipient is told that if they don’t act immediately, they will be arrested.
Many times, these calls are looking to instill fear and coerce individuals into giving them a credit card number or other information to settle debt quickly so they can avoid court or jail time.
Many of the text message scams stemmed from phony requests for the sake of helping the recipient gain access to or confirm a stimulus payment.
COVID pushed a lot of normally “unplugged” products, services, and processes into the online sector.
That created more opportunities for fraudsters to take advantage of people who are unfamiliar with the latest technology-based updates that have been put in place for tax filing, direct deposits, and so much more.
Unemployment Fraud
The IRS also warned of unemployment fraud schemes that stemmed from organized crime circles. The victims of this tax scam would receive unemployment or other benefit payment notices sent from the IRS.
These forms are filled out on the taxpayer’s behalf by a criminal looking to collect on benefits you never applied for or reported. If you receive an incorrect or unsolicited copy of Form 1099-G, you should report it to the issuing agency and request a corrected copy.
Tips for Spotting IRS or Tax Scam Attempts
The best way to prevent fraud and tax scams comes from awareness through education. So, we wanted to offer you some tips and information that can help you spot a fraud attempt.
First, the IRS will never send taxpayers an unsolicited email. They also never discuss tax information with businesses or individuals in an email format. That information is safeguarded and never sent out through electronic correspondence.
Most tax scams are rooted in identity theft. So, if you receive emails, phone calls, or text messages saying someone from the IRS or Treasury Department is trying to get in touch with you and they need specific pieces of sensitive or personal information in order for you to receive a refund or to pay off an outstanding debt.
Most tax scam attempts will mention that you need to click a link or download an attachment to provide your information. All of these tactics are not anything the IRS would use.
It’s also important to know the URL for the true IRS website – http://www.irs.gov – so you don’t get tricked into clicking a link with a .com or .net address instead.
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