Tax Season is Here - Beware Scammers!

Every tax season is rife with telephone and email scams looking to steal your information and refunds. Businesses face the constant challenge of avoiding W-2 phishing scams that look to gather a plethora of tax information in one fell swoop. While in recent years the IRS has added additional verifications to tax forms and identity protection pins for tax payers, tax fraud still exists. Every year the IRS publishes their Dirty Dozen list of tax scams to be on the lookout for and this year is no different.

In recent months, I have received an avalanche of calls informing me that the Social Security Administration was going to revoke my social security number. I also have received numerous emails telling me that I had incomplete information submitted to the IRS and asking me to verify information. Be cautious and be smart. Avoid falling for these scams and giving your sensitive personal information to scammers.

A few key items, for both the IRS and Social Security Administration, that the IRS shares on their website that everyone should know:

• The IRS will never call you and ask for personal information.
• The IRS will never email you and ask for personal information
• The IRS will never demand immediate payment over the phone.
• The IRS will never threaten you over the phone.
• The IRS will not call you about an unexpected refund or Economic Impact Payment.

These are just a few things to remember the next time that you receive a phone call or email from someone claiming to be the IRS or Social Security Administration. The scammers will try to frighten you, threaten you, and possibly harass you into sharing information but if there is any one piece of advice for everyone to remember, please remember this: The IRS will never call or email you.