Tax season is upon us, and that means robocallers are out in full force attempting to trick targets into thinking it’s the IRS calling to collect.
Keep yourself, your identity, and your assets safe this tax season. The prospect of owing extra, missing payments, and being audited is terrifying, so don’t let tax anxiety cloud your common sense.
There are few things taxpayers fear more than making a mistake and ended up owing the IRS extra money or being audited.
Tax season is stressful all around. Even hiring someone else to do your taxes doesn’t stop the IRS from coming after you if something has gone amiss. However, the fear of the IRS coming after you is far greater than the likelihood it will actually happen. Your fear, however, is all scammers need to trick you into panicking and giving away your identity.
Robocalls are widespread, with an illegal estimated 2.4 billion plaguing Americans every month. Caller ID tech allows scammers to make these calls appear like they’re coming from the target’s own town, or from the IRS or other government agency. In fact, scammers can use actual IRS phone numbers that are only inbound lines that pop up on your caller ID when a robocall comes in.
These calls will threaten the target, stating they face fines or jail time if they don’t make a payment right now. Remember, scams are designed to send the target into a send of urgency to obscure their judgment and get them to act quickly without thinking, handing over sensitive information like credit card and bank account information, PINs, and social security numbers.
How can you protect yourself this tax season? Know how the IRS operates so you can’t be conned into giving away your identity.
* Do not respond to Robocalls, even if they’re in your area code, or an area code close by, and even if they’re from an IRS phone number.
* Understand IRS practices. The IRS will NEVER call you to collect taxes owed, and will never tell you to pay up now over then phone or face fines or jail time. If you get a call like this from the IRS, especially if it’s a robocall, it’s not actually the IRS.
* If you suspect it might actually be the IRS, call them yourself.
* If you receive a robocall, report it to the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov.
* If you’ve been harassed by robocalls, or other fraudulent calls that make attempts on your identity and assets, or if you’ve fallen victim to this scam or a similar scam, your private investigator can help you get to the bottom of the situation and seek solutions. Contact me at Mignolet@Bellsouth.net.