“Scammers know we take taxes seriously. So, scammers will do whatever it takes to pretend to be the IRS and other government entities to get a hold of tax information, your identity and get as much information out of you as possible.”
Katie Grevious is the Marketing and Community Relations Manager with Better Business Bureau of Western Michigan. She says taxpayers need to be vigilant this time of year as tax season is in full swing and scammers are looking to take advantage.
Grievous encourages consumers to watch out for Impersonation Scams, where they pose as IRS agents, trying to pressure you into giving out personal information; also look out for those phishing email scams, where bogus emails are sent with links to fake websites but look like legitimate government sites. She adds they’re even sending mail.
“To try and get you to respond in some way, whether it’s call a number or go to a website that is clearly fraudulent.”
Grevious says the BBB has several tips to avoid these scams this tax season, for one, use an Identify Protection PIN from the IRS before you file your return, make sure you’re on the real IRS Website when filing. And Grevious says one of the best ways to avoid tax identify theft is to file early.
“Not only does it help you get your refund faster if you’re owed one, but no one can steal your identify because you’ve already filed. So scammers if they get a hold of that identity, they can’t file for you, or take your refund, change your address, something like that.”
Grevious says more information and tips can be found on their website at BBB.org.
