Beware Of Tax Preparation Scams

As taxpayers begin to receive W-2 forms, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) impersonation schemes tend to flourish. For example, scammers prey on seniors or college students by impersonating tax authorities, solicit follow up information on a tax form, and collect identification numbers and social security information, which is then used to steal people’s money or identities.

Some scammers have even gone to the extreme of using spoofing technology to make their caller ID numbers come up to look like they are from the IRS. The New York Attorney General’s regional offices report multiple complaints from consumers about tax preparation schemes like these.

The good news is that you can help shut down these schemes and prevent others from being victimized. If you receive a suspicious e-mail that claims to come from the IRS, you can relay that e-mail to a new IRS mailbox, phishing@irs.gov.

Follow instructions in the link for sending the bogus e-mail to ensure that it retains critical elements found in the original e-mail. The IRS can use the information, URLs and links in the suspicious e-mails you send to trace the hosting Web site and alert authorities to help shut down the fraudulent sites. Unfortunately, due to the expected volume, the IRS will not be able to acknowledge receipt or respond to you.

Deceptive practices

In addition to these scams, there are tax preparation businesses that take advantage of consumers through a variety of other deceptive practices. One common tactic is to advertise low fees to get the customer in the door, only to increase the final fee by hundreds of dollars, claiming the tax return was more complicated.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says there are also offers of "instant cash" to help a consumer pay bills while waiting for their refund, but they can come with undisclosed fees and high interest rates. In addition, some business are just not equipped to handle the volume of business they take in, resulting in delays in getting the refund that one paid a premium to get "fast."

“Preying on the desperation of people in a tough economy is unconscionable,” Schneiderman said. “While there are plenty of legitimate and law-abiding tax preparers doing business, there are some who use the allure of fast cash to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers. When hiring tax preparation services, consumers must have as much information as possible to protect themselves from fraud, and should file a complaint if they feel they've been victimized.”