How to protect yourself against IRS scams

It’s tax season. Oh boy! That means you’ll soon be getting your W2’s and 1099’s and you might even hear from some scumbags!

Every tax season fraudsters, scumbags and hackers crawl out of their holes to try to take your money by pretending to be associated with the IRS.

Here’s how to protect yourself and what to look out for:

Rule #1: The IRS will snail mail first

The IRS will not email you.

The IRS will not text you.

The IRS will not DM you.

In very rare instances, they may call.    But only after they send a letter.

So if anyone contacts you by any other way than snail mail, you’ve got your first clue it’s not legit.

Rule #2 is “See Rule #1”

The most common tax scams

If you forget Rule #1 (and Rule #2) and the cockroaches actually get through to you, here’s what they might tell you.

  1. You owe back taxes – You need to wire immediate payment before the IRS agents knock down your door. (Uh huh. I can hear them knocking now.)
  2. Give us your information – To get your refund, we just need to verify your bank information. (Uhh, sure ya do.)
  3. Call us back. PLEASE?! – A robocall voicemail “We’ll suspend your Social Security number if you don’t call us back to pay your back taxes.” (Suuure. And will there also be a Nigerian prince ready to give me his millions?)
  4. Just look at our caller ID! – It says right there that we’re calling from the Tax Advocacy Service. I SWEAR I didn’t just change the caller ID. (I bet! And maybe you can help me with my outstanding auto warranty too?)

How to protect yourself against tax scams

The rules for protecting yourself against tax scams are the same rules for protecting yourself against any financial fraudsters.

  1. The IRS will snail mail first (aka verify the source)
  2. See Rule #1
  3. Don’t give out any information until you’ve verified the source.
  4. Don’t let them scare you into skipping Rule #3.

And if you’re looking for a laugh, have a little fun with them like this guy did.