From Weld County District Attorney Kenneth R. Buck
For The C.A.S.E. Program
March 2011
The deadline is fast approaching — April 15 … tax day. And while some people have already filed their taxes and received their refund, others are still trying to gather all of the documentation needed to prepare their re-turns. Regardless of which group you fall in, everyone needs to be aware of scams that surface during tax season.
There is a problem with your return…
This scam usually starts with a phone call or an email to the potential victim from someone claiming to be with the IRS. The recipient of the call or email is told that there is an issue with their tax return; they may even be told that the ‘issue’ could effect their refund status.
The scammer will then ask for some personal identifying information, such as a Social Security number, in their ‘effort’ to ‘correct’ the issue. For example, the con artist will say they need to verify that they have contacted the correct person by comparing Social Security numbers — which they ask you to provide. Never provide any cold caller or emailer with your Social Security Number or any other personal information.
Help us help you…
As with the scam outlined above, this, too, starts with an email or a phone call from someone claiming to be with the IRS. In this scam, the caller/emailer wants to make your life easier by offering to have your refund directly deposited into your bank account … all you have to do is provide them with your bank account number and the routing information found at the bottom of your personal checks. Again, never provide this information to someone over the phone or via email especially if you did not initiate the contact.
Please know that the IRS will never contact you via phone or email; all of their correspondence is done through traditional mail as per the IRS web site www.irs.gov [1].