Don’t Fall Victim To These Tax Season Scams

Tax season is typically when scams and frauds are at a yearly high. Scam artists prey on those concerned about filing their taxes, especially those who are vulnerable to scams. We remind Dort Financial Credit Union members that the IRS will never initiate contact with you through email, text, or any social media channel. Click here for ways to identify the official IRS.

Social Security Number Scam

Scammers claim to be able to suspend or cancel a person’s SSN. These fraudsters frighten victims into giving them information in exchange for “keeping” their SSN.

Identity Theft & Unemployment Benefits

Scam artists file for fraudulent unemployment benefits using stolen identities. Taxpayers who received a Form 1099-G for 2020 unemployment compensation that they did not receive should take the steps outlined at Identity Theft and Unemployment Benefits.

IRS Impersonation Emails

In this situation, a fraudster pretends to be the IRS and threatens the victim. Be aware that the IRS will NEVER send unsolicited emails to you.

IRS Impersonation Phone Calls

This scenario involves a scam artist pretending to be from the IRS, including false identifying information. Victims are threatened and told to pay the IRS with wire transfers or gift cards. A legitimate company, including the IRS, will NEVER ask for payment in gift cards. We also remind you to never send money to someone you do not know, or cannot confirm the identity of.

Unethical Tax Return Preparers

The IRS warns taxpayers to avoid “ghost preparers”, or a person posing as a legitimate tax preparer, but does not sign the tax return. This is a red flag that the person may be looking to make a quick profit off of your taxes.

Still not sure if you’ve encountered a scam? Visit the IRS.gov’s website to learn more about tax season scams and how to identify them.