telephone scams and phishing are still problems at the origin
Although telephone scams hold the title Dirty Dozen prices, they are still a big issue for taxpayers. One of the most important things to remember when it comes to avoid phone phishing scams and the IRS is generally not in contact with people in any other manner as regular mail. This means that if you receive a threatening phone call from someone claiming to represent the IRS or open an email that looks convincing as it comes directly from the source, you must proceed with extreme caution. The advice we gave last year to deal with bogus phone calls still applies today - bottom line, do not give threats and never give anyone your personal information without first hang up and directly call the IRS to make sure you speak the right people.
See who you trust to prepare your taxes
Several scams Dirty Dozen include those often carried out not by the taxpayer but by the person he or she trusts to prepare their taxes. The entries on the list include fraud picker return and refund requests inflated, cushioning false deductions on returns, falsifying income to claim credits and excessive claims for trade credits. While the last items on the list are also something that taxpayers should avoid getting, tax preparer fraud is something far more people are victims you think. To avoid this, you should always vet right tax professional that you plan to use -. And think about going to a trusted tax preparation service experienced as H & R Block on someone advertising on Craigslist
All charities are created equal
Towards the end of the year, many people are scrambling to make charitable donations in the hope that they can be removed from their taxes when the time comes a few months later. However, scammers are well aware of this spirit of giving, and they take advantage with fake charities and scams designed to separate the well-meaning taxpayers of their possessions and money, without actually benefiting the needy they claim to represent. It is not only the end of the year when you should be on the lookout for fraudsters charity -. Natural disasters are also a rich target for this scam
Identity theft is a growing threat
It is therefore not surprising that identity theft has taken its first place on this list, but it is not yet the recent news that tax fraud is behind a recent spike 47% of identity theft complaints to the FTC easier to swallow. The truth of the matter is, identity theft is a big problem for most people across the United States, and the filing of fraudulent tax returns has become a booming business for identity thieves have access to a treasure trove of personal information acquired from independent data breaches in recent years. recent hacking into the IRS shows that fraudsters use information obtained from elsewhere to commit tax evasion, it is not enough to take precautions when doing your taxes - there are other protective measures the identity that you should consider, such as freezing your credit reports. A protection service against reputable identity theft can also help monitor your information - and the information of your family members, including minors - on public folders and the black market of Internet to help the flag everything that has already been disclosed in a data breach. Just remember the hard truth :. nothing can completely prevent identity theft
Follow our blog identity theft protection for more information how you can protect your identity during tax season and throughout the year.