Watch Out for Scammers

There has been a great deal about clients and friends getting phone calls from very official sounding people claiming they are the IRS.

Beware that potential phone scam victims are told that they owe money that must be paid immediately to the IRS or they are entitled to big refunds.

When unsuccessful the first time, sometimes phone scammers call back trying a new strategy.

Let me warn you that the IRS conducts all business via the US Mail, never by phone.

The phone scammers may even have the last four digits of your social security number.

DON’T buy it!

As well, there are scammers that send very official documents stating they are with the Secretary of State and you MUST have a compliance certificate.

And, for $250, you can have an official compliance certificate.

This too, is a Scam. The fine print on page two has a very small line something to the effect of “we are in no way associated with any governmental agency”.

The IRS encourages taxpayers to be vigilant against phone and email scams that use the IRS as a lure. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels. The IRS also does not ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts. Recipients should not open any attachments or click on any links contained in the message. Instead, forward the email to [email protected].