Beware Of IRS Scams!

Scammers have been getting creative in order to get your most personal information. From creating email addresses that look like they are from an official source, to masking their phone numbers to seem as if the IRS is calling you. You can protect yourself by being aware of these most common scams.

Unclaimed Funds

In July, the IRS was alerted to a new scam claiming to assist you in gaining your Unclaimed Funds. The new scheme involves a mailing coming in a cardboard envelope from a delivery service. The mailing contains an IRS letterhead with the notice "In Relation to Your Unclaimed Refund." Similar to many scams, the contact information and phone number do not belong to the IRS but asks for sensitive information including photos of your driver's license. The letter continues to ask for your cellphone number, bank information, and Social Security number. The IRS and GS&CO urge you to be wary of letters such as these.

Gift Cards

Gift cards are a popular and convenient gift for all of your occasions, and scammers have caught onto this. Scammers often target taxpayers asking them to pay a fake tax bill with gift cards. The most common way a scammer requests gift cards is through a government impersonation scam. They will call and demand an immediate payment often aggressively. They will often threaten to bring in the local police, immigration officers or other law enforcement to have the taxpayer arrested. The IRS will NEVER ask for gift cards for payment. If you are being scammed, hang up and report the scam to the IRS, this can be done so by calling 800-366-4484 or emailing [email protected].

Phone Calls Requesting Personal Information

Another common and very realistic scam is when someone contact you pretending to be an IRS agent. The phone call may be about a real or pretend payment and the caller often threatens to have you arrested if you do not pay them immediately. Scammers can go to great lengths to seem legitimate, by masking their caller ID or giving a fake name and badge number. The IRS says these calls are almost never legitimate because "the IRS never initiates contact with taxpayers through phone calls, emails or text messages." The IRS will never ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone. If you are not sure if it is a scam or not, call GS&Co and we can look further into this.

Scammers have grown and become increasingly creative in the past few years. Scammers often target those who may be unaware of the operating procedures of the IRS, take time to discuss with your family, especially older members about these scams. As always, GS&Co is here to assist you with any further questions.

Giambalvo, Stalzer & Company, CPAs, P.C. is one of the top accounting business advisory and consulting firms on Long Island. We offer a full range of business advisory services including tax, assurance, corporate finance, forensic accounting, business reorganization, management consulting and estates and trusts. We are dedicated to assist clients in making decisions that will achieve or surpass their own goals. Give us a call today at 631.321.8000 or send us an email at [email protected]