No matter which way you file, we guarantee 100% accuracy and your maximum refund. If you try to e-file or submit by mail and get a letter or notification that the IRS has already received a return for your SSN, then you should submit the IRS’s identity theft affidavit form at IdentityTheft.gov. One of the best ways to avoid IRS scammers looking to steal your refund is by filing your taxes as early as possible. The sooner you submit your tax return, the less likely it will be that a cybercriminal can file in your name. However, they all have the goal of tricking targets into believing they are a representative from the IRS.

Some may even already have some of your information on hand to verify it’s you. It’s important to never verify any of your personal data—simply hang up. Use this as your go-to guide on the types of IRS scams used to steal your information and the tax refunds you’re entitled to. Apparently that person asked that his refund be sent to a bank account in California, one that isn’t his. Meddles now has to file a police report, as well as forms with the FTC, IRS, and Attorney General’s office to straighten out the situation.

Other scammers claim they can use IRS forms to transfer funds from the Social Security Administration to the tax authorities. The victim, they claim, will get a check from the IRS, but that’s not likely to happen. When he used TurboTax to file his tax return last week, it was rejected because someone else had already filed it, beating him to the punch.

1. If you get a phone call or email soliciting money to fight disease or assist victims, don’t give out cash or financial info.
2. On Monday parent company Intuit (INTU) warned it has discovered three different email scams that are aimed at TurboTax customers.
3. Being aware of common tax scams and how to address them can help you keep yourself and your information secure at tax time.
4. The IRS will never call you to demand payments or verify your credentials.
5. Because you may be able to claim deductions from the charity donations you made during the year, cybercriminals often create fake charities for you to donate to.

Even when you are legitimately owed a refund, criminals will inflate amounts in the tax return and steal the refund. It starts with your phone ringing — the most prevalent tax scam making the rounds this year. The caller claims to be from the IRS and demands your money NOW.

For example, a taxpayer may be given a debit card to withdraw the cash from their tax refund. Each ATM withdrawal, however, has a ceiling and carries a fee of up to $2.50 paid to the lender and an additional fee of up to $2.50 paid to the ATM operator. By the turbotax spoof email time all of the refund is retrieved using multiple withdrawals, these fees may absorb more than 10 percent of the original amount. Exclusively for TurboTax customers – get IDnotify’s most comprehensive identity protection plan at a special discounted price.

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A good rule of thumb is to never donate to a charity if they call you on the spot. See if their social media profiles and website look credible—even visit in-person if they have a location near you. The IRS has a reliable search tool you can use to find and crosscheck established charitable organizations. Ask for a name, title and phone number, but don’t call back. Rest assured, we are vigilant about keeping our customers informed and empowered to protect themselves.

Top 10 Tax Scams

Please contact support at [phone number removed] for assistance. IDnotify, a part of Experian, partners with us to offer full-service Full Identity Restoration and Identity Theft Monitoring services as part of the MAX and Premium Services bundles. If the caller threatens you with police arrest, deportation or immediate criminal action—they’re not from the IRS. Phone calls demanding immediate cash payments are made by criminals who impersonate tax agents. These calls are so common; it’s likely you’ve been targeted at some point. Michael, a business owner from Randolph, N.J., said they had used TurboTax for over 20 years.

Stimulus Check Phishing Scams: TurboTax Tips to Prevent Identity Theft

Phishing and identity theft are the most common tax scams, said Kenneth Price, a financial planner with Austin Asset Management Co. (austinasset.com) in Austin, Texas. Once cyberthieves get their hands on your banking or credit card information, they may try to make large purchases, open new lines of credit, or take out loans in your name. Check your credit regularly for any dramatic changes to your credit score or unexplained red flags on your credit report. Another tax scam involves promises that you can obtain a large Social Security refund or rebate.

In Alabama, for example, 16,000 were deemed suspicious, while 17,000 were flagged during the entire tax season there last year. The state is now investigating https://turbo-tax.org/ how many of these are actually fraudulent. TurboTax customers who believe they may have received a fake email, should forward the message to Intuit at

On the other hand it could just be a promotional email selling the ID Notify product … Purchase if you wish but check out their website directly if you don’t trust the email link. I certainly did not have to go through this mumble jumble last year.

This is our list of recommendations to keep your account’s safety on lockdown. One of the surest signs of a scam is when tax preparers make unrealistic promises, guaranteeing huge payouts, regardless of an individual’s financial situation. To receive guidance from our tax experts and community.

We encourage security researchers to report vulnerabilities they find in our systems or products. If you found a potential vulnerability, go to our Responsible Disclosure page to submit what you found. We appreciate your help in keeping our systems and products secure. We’ll always protect your data with our anti-fraud technology, and there are steps you can take to stay in the know about your Intuit Account and the information you share with it.

One of the most valuable characteristics taxpayers can possess is patience, said Rick Brooks, a financial planner with Blankenship and Foster LLC, in Solana Beach, California. Some tax-related scams don’t have anything to do with theft, but everything to do with politics, Erb said. The IRS also counsels people to be on guard against groups that encourage them to make “frivolous and outrageous” claims based on the false premise that they are not lawfully obligated to pay taxes.

The more we work together to identify and alert other customers about phishing scams, the safer everyone will be. Whether it’s phishing, identity theft, or hidden fees, tax season can bring out the scammers in full force. Learn how to protect yourself from the most common tax scams. One way IRS scammers can intimidate people into giving them sensitive information is over the phone.