Almost every day my phone rings and its usually the same woman (or sometimes a recording) in forming me that unless I call them back, I could have my salary garnished or even go to jail over an unpaid tax bill.
If you get one of these calls – just say nothing and hang up.
Here is a little-known secret: The IRS will never call you on the telephone, unless you call them first.
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The government may be shut down but there is still a small group working at the IRS.
The IRS today warned the public of a surge of fraudulent emails impersonating the IRS and using tax transcripts as bait to entice users to open documents containing malware.
In the past few weeks, the scam masqueraded as the IRS, pretending to be from “IRS Online.” The scam email carries an attachment labeled “Tax Account Transcript” or something similar, and the subject line uses some variation of the phrase “tax transcript.”
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With tax season underway, the IRS warned taxpayers to be vigilant for phishing emails and telephone scams. Tax season tends to be a favorite period for scammers because many taxpayers have recently filed a return and may be waiting for a response from the IRS, and are taken in by this.
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Lastly, some scammers who buy your personal information on the Dark Web, will file a phony return –but have the refund sent to them. If you suspect this could happen to you, I suggest you call the IRS (Remember they will never call you) at 1-800-829-1040 and ask if your return has been filed yet. If they say yes, tell them you have not filed a return and they will investigate