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Avoiding Tax Scams with Nick Leon By SecureMac.com Before we move on to 2021 tax scams, let’s take a moment to review four “classic” tax scams that tend to reappear every year: The IRS Phone Scam Scammers call taxpayers saying they’re from the IRS. They then try to get money or sensitive data from their victims. To do this, they’ll tell people that they owe back taxes, or that they’re going to receive a tax refund, but need to supply some additional personal information to get it. In more intimidating versions of the scam, they’ll threaten their targets with jail time, deportation, or the loss of a driver’s license or Social Security number. The lies vary, but there is one consistent factor in the IRS phone scam that makes it very easy to spot: the phone call itself. The IRS never calls taxpayers out of the blue asking for personal information, and doesn’t handle delinquent taxes or tax audits with threatening phone calls. If anyone calls you claiming to be from the IRS, you can safely assume it’s a scam and just hang up the phone. Phishing Emails Much like other forms of phishing, tax-related phishing emails arrive unsolicited. Usually they will claim to be someone from the IRS who wants to help you e-file your taxes, or to help you get your refund. The IRS says that common subject headings on these emails include things like “Automatic Income Tax Reminder” and “Electronic Tax Return Reminder”. The emails often contain fake temporary passwords and links to a fraudulent website designed to look like the real IRS website. Visiting one of these sites can lead to stolen personal data or a malware infection. As with phone scams, the real giveaway here is that the IRS just doesn’t initiate contact with taxpayers in this way. If you get a random email from someone who says they’re with the IRS, don’t click on any links in the email, and don’t download any attachments. Report the email to phishing@irs.gov and then delete it.