In honor of the traditional day of practical jokes and
harmless antics, instead of chasing the hottest new tax scam, why not arm
yourself with traits that will help identify even the most recent version
of them. Here is what you need to know:
You are a target
While
virtually anyone can be a target of scams, thieves usually target those
that are most likely to respond. So if you fit into one of these
categories, your scam meter should go way up:
- Elderly. Why: High trust, generally less tech savvy
- Students. Why: Low income, high debt, and lack of street
smarts
- Immigrants. Why: Easy to threaten residence status, lower
understanding of processes
- Heavy social media users. Why: More willing to give away their identity and
to click on things.
Action: If one of these groups
describes you, understand you will be subject to a scam…probably every
year. If not, then understand who you need to coach for heightened
awareness.
Hints to identify scams
While
not a sure-fire way to avoid all types of scams, if you follow these hints
to identify scams, the likelihood of being a victim lowers dramatically.
- Personal information is requested via email, web,
or phone.
- The contact comes to you, and not the other way
around.
- Emails ask you to click on something.
- You are asked to visit a website.
- Initial contact from the “IRS” is anything other
than mail.
- You feel threatened.
- Fear is used as a tactic.
Never give them your keys
You
would never give your car keys to a complete stranger. So keep that thought
in your mind as it relates to your identity, and your money. Drive your own
car when it comes to the IRS by controlling the process. You do this by:
- Understanding. Initial contact with the IRS and their collection
agents always uses the mail. So never respond via email or web or
phone.
- Not taking the bait. Any non-mail initial contact is met by hanging up
the phone or deleting the email. And NEVER click on any links in an
email or go to a website directed by a stranger.
- Independent confirmation. Never respond directly unless a trusted expert
handles the correspondence for you. In addition, ask any IRS agent for
their pocket commission and HSPD-12 card. Then go to www.irs.gov, get the appropriate phone
number and call them for confirmation that the person or form is
legitimate.
- Ignore, non-mail, non-federal. Scammers know it is harder to scam with an IRS ID,
so they will claim to be from the state, local law enforcement, Social
Security and even the Taxpayer Advocate Service. IN ALL CASES, either
ignore or hang up the phone. Then independently look up the number of
the agency and call them directly to confirm the validity of the
claim. If they say they are legit, ask for mail confirmation, but DO
NOT give them your address, they should already have it.
- Payment only goes one place. Finally, all IRS payments are made out to the US
Treasury and sent via approved addresses or direct deposit. This can
be found on www.irs.gov. There are no
exceptions to this. So do not give credit card information, buy gift
cards, send a check to anyone other than approved addresses, or pay
anyone other than the US Treasury.
Remember,
your best defense is a good offense, so call immediately if you need help.
And now you really can have a happy April Fools Day!
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