Beware of IRS Specified Dirty Dozen Tax Scams
Monday, February 20, 2012, 2:00 AM | Leave Comment
It’s that time of the year again when we as good citizens have to file our tax returns. And it’s that time of the year when zombies and scums – expert in tax scam – come out in daylight and at night to do what they do best – to scam you out of your personal identity and the data that goes with it. Most of us don’t give a single iota to try to prevent ourselves from thieves and the scums of the world.
Remember wherever you go, there is certain data attached with your person. Whether that be on your debit card, credit card, driver’s license, social security card or a bunch of other information that you may not be even aware you are carrying. In essence, you are a walking financial time bomb. In other words, your attached data can anytime be stolen from you and you wouldn’t even know it.
The problem with scams is that there is not one kind but as many as you can think of. The scams have one to many ratio. One particular scam may be used by many scums. So if you avoid one scum, there are a whole bunch of them waiting in line. You have to be on your toes 24×7 all year especially during tax season.
IRS Specified Dirty Dozen Tax Scams
I will list only 5 types of tax scam out of dozen that IRS has specified on its website. It’s written in simple plain English so you shouldn’t have any problem understanding it.
If and when you are scammed, IRS says it can help you but the extent of its help is unspecified. What can be the extent of its help? Not much. You might be on your own. Illegal scams can lead to significant penalties, interest and possible criminal prosecution. It’s your responsibility as taxpayer to watch out for the scums and crooks of the world.
From the IRS dirty dozen, I have identified 5 tax scams that the crooks and the scums might attempt to deceive you for and potentially clean you out of your money partially or perhaps completely.
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Identity Theft
Identity Theft is at the top of IRS list. There are ways to prevent it and other types of financial scams. This blog has sure shed some light on it as well. IRS on its website admits that Identity theft cases are among the most complex ones the IRS handles. However, it states that the agency is committed to working with taxpayers who have become victims of identity theft. That’s good to know.
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Phishing
I am sure you have received unsolicited emails. This is known as phishing. More often, it will have a fake website link that poses as a legitimate site to lure in potential victims. The thrust of the message is to prompt you to provide valuable personal and financial information.
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Tax Return Preparer Fraud
IRS says about 60 percent of taxpayers will use tax professionals this year to prepare and file their tax returns. Most return preparers provide honest service to their clients. But there are also crooks and scums who prey on unsuspecting taxpayers.
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Tax Scams Involving Social Security
You may have seen advertisements for free money from the IRS. It might suggest that you can file a tax return with little or no documentation. The biggest problem may be that these flyers have been appearing in community churches around the country.
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Frivolous Arguments
You may have seen some advertisement in media that promotes frivolous schemes encouraging taxpayers to make unreasonable and outlandish claims to avoid paying the taxes they owe. IRS says to just shun those ads.
In a Nutshell
For the complete list of dirt dozen tax scams, our good old friend IRS every year on its website releases the Dirty Dozen Tax Scams. We should try our utmost to protect ourselves from these scams.
