How Tax Frauds Deceive Taxpayers Seeking Tax Help
Last updated on February 28, 2022
There are multiple reasons for taxpayers to hire tax professionals, including tax preparation, tax debt resolution, and IRS collection releases. When looking to hire a tax professional to resolve a tax problem or to prepare a tax return, taxpayers must know that fraudsters are lurking not too far behind.
Tax Preparation Help
Most taxpayers hire tax preparers to prepare and file their tax returns. Along with professional tax preparers, there is software, such as TurboTax to help taxpayers with tax returns. Scammers create fake tax preparation software companies and encourage taxpayers to share their tax filing information with them. Most times the web pages are exact replicas of existing tax software companies, so many taxpayers fall victim to the fraud.
When online, taxpayers need to avoid going to web pages through unsolicited emails they receive because many of these emails are sent by tax frauds. Any web page or email that asks for personal or financial details should be thoroughly checked for authenticity.
IRS Tax Help Web Pages
The IRS has been used by tax frauds to steal sensitive information for years. The most prevalent method used is sending fake IRS emails. These emails have one or more links that lead to fake IRS web pages where taxpayers are asked to share their tax information. Any unsolicited email from the IRS is a phishing attempt by tax frauds. Remember, the IRS never initiates communication with taxpayers through email.
The IRS’ e-services, including ‘Where’s My Refund?’ are being used by fraudsters to scam taxpayers. The real IRS e-services’ page offers taxpayers various tax preparation options they can use to prepare their returns. The fraud page copies the appearance of the real IRS web page, but alters its content.
Typing the full, authentic address of the IRS or software website can save taxpayers from phishing attempts. Duplicates of the IRS website may end in .com, .org, .net. The authentic IRS website always ends with .gov. Taxpayers who are not internet-savvy should avoid using online resources to prepare or file their tax returns without help.
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