Here are the samples of tax scams as follows.
: Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
: Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
: Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
The IRS doesn’t initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information. The IRS will also never call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. Generally, the IRS will first mail you a bill if you owe any taxes. The IRS initiates most contacts through regular mail delivered by the USPS.
However, there are circumstances in which the IRS will call or come to a home or business. These include when a taxpayer has an overdue tax bill, a delinquent tax return or has not made an employment tax deposit. An IRS employee may also view assets or tour a business as part of a collection investigation, an audit or an ongoing criminal investigation. Even then, taxpayers will generally first receive several notices from the IRS by mail.
You must be careful of Phishing (Scam where Internet fraudsters send email messages to trick unsuspecting victims). Personal and financial information that can be used to steal the victims’ identity may be revealed through it. Current scams include phony emails which claim to come from the IRS and which lure the victims into the scam by telling them that they are due a tax refund.
Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information such as your name, Social Security Number or other identifying information without your permission to commit fraud or other crimes. Typically, identity thieves use someone’s personal data to empty the victim’s financial accounts, run up charges on the victim’s existing credit cards, apply for new loans, credit cards, services or benefits in the victim’s name, file fraudulent tax returns or even commit crimes.
People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years and their hard-earned money. In the meantime, victims may lose job opportunities, be refused loans, education, housing or cars, or even get arrested for crimes they didn’t commit.