BBB Tip of the Week

From now until mid-April, scammers use the tax season as a way to con taxpayers out of money. The Better Business Bureau shares the following information, along with advice from IRS.gov, so you are able to avoid phone and email tax scams.

Typically scammers will have partial information, such as the last four digits of a Social Security number. The caller ID may be spoofed to show the IRS 800-number. Usually you hear a busy call center in the background. All of it is meant to deceive you into believing that the call is legitimate.

This year scammers may call or email claiming to be assisting with Obamacare tax rebates. They may claim that you are entitled to a rebate. Some scammers may offer to assist with filing your taxes and ask for your bank account or debit card to process the rebate. Instead of giving sensitive information to unsolicited callers or emailers, the IRS offers some suggestions for wisely choosing a tax preparer at http://1.usa.gov/1A0khrW.

More typically, con artists claim you owe taxes and threaten jail time or driver’s license revocation to force you to give them money. You can detect phony IRS callers because the IRS will never:

• Call to demand immediate payment.

• Call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.

• Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.

• Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card or wire transfer.

• Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

• Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement to arrest you for not paying.

If you receive an email claiming to be from the IRS, don’t open any attachments or click any links. Instead forward the email to phishing@irs.gov.

If you get a call and you think you might owe taxes, hang up on the caller. Then call the IRS directly at (800) 829-1040 to get help with a payment plan.

If you’ve been targeted by a tax scam, you can file a complaint with the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at www.tigta.gov; with the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov; and with the BBB at www.bbb.org or by calling (509) 455-4200.

By Erin T. Dodge, BBB editor