Be Careful of the latest IRS SCAM

PRLog (Press Release) – Sep 15, 2008 – Major scam is happening. COHESIVE™ wants you to be protected.

Unfortunately as our economy seems to get worst, scam artists try to impersonate the IRS . Life is complex enough without con artists trying to separate you from your hard earned dollars.  It can be very costly if you become a victim of a scam that trades on the image or the mission of the IRS.  Everyone should be vigilant in protecting personal, financial and tax information.

Here are some tips to avoid falling prey to con artists:

1) Watch your personal and financial information very closely, particularly during electronic transactions. The IRS is among a growing group of government agencies and corporations whose names and Web sites are being copied by impostors posing as employees conducting official business and seeking your personal information.  These impostures have even shown up on door steps with an IRS business card trying to gain access to your home.

2) The IRS does not use e-mail to initiate contact with taxpayers about their accounts. Do not open links in unsolicited messages claiming to come from the IRS. 

3) Do not give away personal information to callers claiming to be from the IRS unless you have verified the caller’s identity.  You can confirm an IRS contact by calling 800-829-1040.
Thieves can use stolen personal data to access your financial accounts, run up charges on credit cards or apply for new loans. With a stolen identity a con-artist might try to use your Social Security Number to intercept your refund or falsify employment records, leaving the IRS with the impression that you did not report all of your income. 

5) Some con artists earn their living by preparing false, and illegal, tax returns.  Make certain that all of the information on your tax return is accurate since you are responsible for its content regardless of who prepares your return.

6) Choose carefully when you hire a tax preparer. As the saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

7) Be wary of anyone who encourages you to side-step your responsibility to file an income tax return or to pay the proper amount of tax due.

If you have any questions are concerns about any information you receive from IRS or any other source, please rely on your trusted professional to provide you with the correct answer.