Tax Time Creates Opportunities for Identity Thieves

Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the country, and many identity thieves use scams that involve taxes.

In one case, criminals sent bank customers fictitious correspondence and IRS forms in an attempt to trick them into disclosing their personal financial data. In another, abusive tax preparers used clients’ Social Security numbers and other information to file false tax returns without the clients’ knowledge.

Sometimes scammers pose as the IRS itself, contacting unsuspecting taxpayers to tell them they were “under audit” and could set matters right by divulging sensitive financial information.

If taxpayers have any doubt whether a contact from the IRS is authentic, they can call 1-800-829-1040 to confirm it. For more information on Taxes and Identity Theft click here:

IRS Warns of Tax Refund E-Mail Scam Used by Identity Thieves

The Internal Revenue Service recently issued a consumer alert about an Internet scam in which consumers receive an e-mail informing them of a tax refund.

The bogus e-mail claims to come from "tax-refunds@irs.gov" and tells the recipient that he or she is eligible to receive a tax refund for a given amount. It then says the recipient must use a link contained in the e-mail to access a form for the refund. The link then asks for personal and financial information, such as Social Security and credit card numbers.

This scheme, called “phishing” is an attempt to trick people into disclosing personal and financial data that is then used to steal the taxpayer’s identity and financial assets.

The IRS does not ask for personal identifying or financial information via unsolicited e-mail. If you receive an unsolicited e-mail purporting to be from the IRS, do not open any attachments. Then, contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to determine whether they are trying to contact you about a tax refund. For more information on this scam, click here:

Other Tax Scams Identified by the IRS

Criminals have developed several different methods that use tax preparation and filing as tools to defraud and steal from taxpayers. Thieves may present themselves as legitimate professional tax preparers or credit counseling agencies, only to persuade their client to claim invalid deductions or transfer assets to fake accounts. For information on some of these scams, click here or the Internal Revenue Service. Remember that if you ever suspect any kind of tax fraud, you can call the IRS at 1-800-829-0433.