by Alex Lloyd Gross
This year, as you file your taxes, remember. The IRS and the State Revenue department will NEVER initiate a telephone call to you. That information is crucial so you do not get scammed. Also if you do get a letter saying you owe taxes, call the number directly, after verifying the correct number via the official agency website
Also, it is very important that no state or federal agency will EVER tell you to pay an outstanding balance with a gift card. Scams usually start with a phone call telling the person answering that they are under arrest.. If they do not pay the amount due the caller will release the warrant to the local police. They even know your own. That’s not hard to find out. It’s a scam. Hang up the phone.
Scammers will try to dupe taxpayers into believing that back taxes are owed immediately, or that a tax rebate is due. This year, scammers are also targeting college students with attempts to scare students into believing that a federal student tax has not been paid, and is due immediately.
The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and the IRS both strongly recommend that Pennsylvanians file their taxes early before scammers have the chance to use any personal information and file a fake tax return.
- Never click on any unsolicited communication claiming to be the IRS as it may have dangerous software or malware contained within the email or text message;
- Understand that scammers spoof phone numbers, and a phone call appearing to be from the IRS does not mean it is a legitimate call;
- If you don’t owe taxes, do not provide any information to the caller and hang up immediately and report the call to ph******@ir*.gov. If you think you owe taxes, call the IRS at 800-829-1040 or review your tax account at www.IRS.gov.
- Filing taxes early stops scammers from using your information and filing.
Consumers with any questions or feel that they have been victimized by this scam may submit a complaint with the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection by visiting the website, https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/submit-a-complaint/scams-complaint/, by emailing sc***@at*************.gov or by calling the office at 1-800-441-2555.