Beware tax filing scams

It’s tax season, so it’s time to get your paperwork in order and hire a tax preparer. Unfortunately, though, there are thousands of scammers looking to steal your information and your tax refund by posing as authentic tax preparers. It’s important to learn how to recognize the signs of a fraudulent tax preparer so you don’t fall victim to a tax filing scam. Here’s all you need to know about these scams and how to keep your money and your information safe.

How the scam plays out

In a tax filing scam, a victim hires an alleged tax preparer to do their taxes. They may be pulled in by the nominal fee the “preparer” is charging, or lured by the scammer’s extensive advertising which makes a frequent appearance on their social media platforms and on websites they often visit. Or, they may be tempted by the large return the “preparer” promises to secure for them.

The victim then shares their information with the supposed tax preparer without suspecting anything is unusual. Unfortunately, though, when the scammer has the taxpayer’s information, they’ll use it to file a tax return in the victim’s name while changing important details, such as a checking account number or mailing address. They’ll swap in their own information and collect the victim’s refund. By the time the victim realizes what’s happened, they’ve lost the money owed to them by the IRS and are at risk of falling prey to identity theft.

 

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