As it does every year, the IRS recently unveiled the list of current scams to be aware of especially considering the current crisis situation. You are encouraged to be on guard against these threats, especially schemes related to Corona virus tax relief, including Economic impact payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Look out for the following threats designed to steal not just your money, but your sensitive personal financial information as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These schemes disguise as an official email from the IRS using keywords like Covid relief and Stimulus Pay in various ways to trick you to reveal confidential information. Be cautious about all such communication and do not click on any links or open any attachments contained in a suspicious email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many fake charities have arisen to exploit the current pandemic situation and steal your money. Before donating to any charity, you can verify its legitimacy by asking for its Employer Identification Number (EIN) and using the search tool<\/a> on IRS.gov to find qualified and legitimate charities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These bogus phone calls pose a major threat these days. Remember IRS will never threaten or ask for financial information over the phone or call about an unexpected refund or about economic impact payments. You should call the IRS to verify and see if there is any tax problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The social\nmedia scammers would impersonate as your family or friends and convince you to\ntrust them. They may email you a link of something of your interest which could\ncontain malware intended to infiltrate and steal sensitive personal\ninformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are a senior citizen you are more likely to be victimized with fake emails, text messages, websites and social media attempts. However, you can protect yourself against these threats by having a trusted family member or friend to take interest in your affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These scams mostly take form of robocalls, although they can also be phone calls made by real persons. They are often threatening in nature, targeted towards people with limited English proficiency. If you are a recent immigrant you are more vulnerable to such scams. Make sure you ignore such phone calls and do not engage the scammers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Selecting the\nright return preparer is very important for your financial security, as you\nentrust them with sensitive personal data. Be sure to avoid preparers who ask\nyou to sign a blank return or promise a big refund even before looking at your\nrecords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You need to be aware of companies exaggerating your chances of settling your tax debt. Offers in compromise are available only if you meet specific criteria under the law. To safeguard yourself against this threat you can use a simple Pre-Qualifier tool<\/a> available on IRS.gov.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are a\nvictim of this threat you will see a fake refund in your bank account as a\nresult of a bogus tax return filed by the scammer, after stealing your personal\ninformation. The scammer, posing as an IRS employee, will then ask you to pay\nback the money. You might be told that the IRS made an error and that you\nshould return the money immediately in a specific manner like buying gift cards\nof certain denominations for the amount of the refund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The common types of such scams are gift card and direct deposit scams, which are done through compromised email accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the gift\ncard scams, the scammer impersonates to be your employer and asks you to\npurchase a gift card and mail it to a specific address, to be reimbursed later.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the\ndirect deposit scam, the scammer, poses as the employee and asks the employer\nto change the employee’s direct deposit information\nto reroute their deposit to an account the scammer controls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you think you are targeted or are a victim of such threat you can file a complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Center (IC3)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Last but not\nthe least on the IRS list is invasive software that you might download. The\nmalware is targeted to infect your computer, network or server and look for\ncritical data that can be used to steal your personal information and money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few simple measures like using two step authentications for your accounts, getting an IRS Identity Protection PIN<\/a>, using antivirus software, freezing your credit can help protect you from many of the above threats and misuse of your sensitive personal information.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThreatening Impersonator Phone Calls, Also Known As \u201cVishing\u201d (Phone Phishing)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Social Media\nScams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Senior Fraud<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Non-English Speakers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Unscrupulous\nReturn Preparers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Offer In Compromise\nMills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Fake\nPayments with Repayment Demands<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Payroll & HR Scams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ransomware<\/h2>\n\n\n\n