Stay Safe This Tax Season: 4 Common Tax Scams and How to Avoid Them

Here are the 4 Common Tax Scams spotted by the Trend Micro Check Team.

1. IRS Text Message/Email Scams

Fake IRS tax refund page.

2. IRS Robocalls and Phone Call Scams

Scammers pretend to be from the IRS Tax Payer Advocate Service office and reach out to you through phone calls or robocalls. They claim that there is a problem with your tax filing, or that you owe taxes and must pay up or change the settings in your IRS account. Then, they ask you to provide personal information such as Social Security number, Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), or Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN).

3. Fake Charities

Scammers will reach out to you in different ways: emails, phone calls, text messages, or even in person. They claim to be from charitable organizations and try their best to persuade you to donate money.

4. Ghost Tax Preparers

Many people choose to hire a tax preparer to handle complex tax filing procedures, but you should be careful of “ghost tax preparers!” Dishonest “ghost preparers” can commit tax fraud by claiming fake tax credits and may charge fees based on the percentage of an inflated refund, among other dangers.

Do you want to know how to avoid these tax scams?  Read the full article here.

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