Five Tips to Stay Protected from Tax Fraud

Last updated on October 22, 2022

Tax frauds are forever devising new ways to cheat. With computers and the Internet being more and more commonly used for filing tax returns and receiving returns, tax fraudsters are more active than ever. Some vital tips that will help taxpayers to beat the scammers are:

1. Never share any personal or tax sensitive information with any unknown or unverified website or a web page. Tax frauds duplicate the design of legitimate sites such IRS’s official site to get taxpayers into sharing their SSN and other tax information.
2. Never click on any unsolicited email from the IRS or banks. The IRS does not send emails to taxpayers. If you need to contact your bank or any other institution, make a call to a verified number.
3. When disposing of financial documents, make sure you do not leave any relevant information on them. Tax frauds are known to have gotten tax and personal information from the trash.
4. Choose a legitimitate tax preparer and review the return before filing it. Never sign the return first and let the return preparer file it.
5. When seeking resolution of a tax problem, research well and find facts before hiring help.

Staying protected from tax frauds is not difficult; a little carefulness goes a long way in ensuring safety. Taxpayers must keep them informed about the nature of various tax scams so that they do not fall into one.