{"id":36678,"date":"2024-03-22T12:22:07","date_gmt":"2024-03-22T17:22:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eztaxreturn.com\/blog\/?p=36678"},"modified":"2024-03-22T12:32:10","modified_gmt":"2024-03-22T17:32:10","slug":"learn-how-to-protect-yourself-from-scammers-posing-as-the-irs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.eztaxreturn.com\/blog\/learn-how-to-protect-yourself-from-scammers-posing-as-the-irs\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn How to Protect Yourself From Scammers Posing as the IRS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The information in this article is up to date for tax year 2023 (returns filed in 2024).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Crooks are always looking for new ways to scam unsuspecting taxpayers. Scammers impersonate the IRS by phone or email, in person, or by mail or delivery service \u2013 and cost people their time and money. By staying vigilant against schemes and scams, taxpayers can protect themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-scammers-can-pose-as-the-irs-by-mail-taxpayers-should-know-the-facts\"><strong>Scammers can pose as the IRS by mail \u2013 taxpayers should know the facts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/newsroom\/irs-security-summit-partners-warn-taxpayers-of-new-scam-unusual-delivery-service-mailing-tries-to-trick-people-into-sending-photos-bank-account-information\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">newest and more devious schemes<\/a> involves mail coming in a cardboard envelope from either a delivery service or the United States Postal Service (USPS). The enclosed letter includes the IRS masthead and wording that the notice is &#8220;in relation to your unclaimed refund.&#8221; The contact information does not belong to the IRS, but the mailing looks official. This scheme seeks sensitive personal information from taxpayers \u2013 including driver\u2019s license photos \u2013 that can be used by identity thieves to steal the taxpayer\u2019s refund and other sensitive financial information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-it-s-now-easier-to-spot-when-it-s-a-scammer-at-the-door-and-not-the-irs\"><strong>It&#8217;s now easier to spot when it\u2019s a scammer at the door and not the IRS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scam artists may also appear at the door posing as IRS agents, creating confusion for not just the taxpayers but also local law enforcement agencies. As this scam has grown, taxpayer confusion about home visits by IRS revenue officers has increased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To help combat these scams, the IRS recently announced that it is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/newsroom\/irs-ends-unannounced-revenue-officer-visits-to-taxpayers-major-change-to-end-confusion-enhance-safety-as-part-of-larger-agency-transformation-efforts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ending most unannounced visits to taxpayers by agency revenue officers<\/a>. In place of the unannounced visits, revenue officers will instead contact taxpayers through an appointment letter, known as a 725-B Letter, and schedule a follow-up meeting. This will help taxpayers feel more prepared when it is time to meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taxpayers who receive a request from IRS in the mail or by phone can always contact <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/help\/let-us-help-you\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">IRS customer service<\/a> to authenticate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-scammers-may-also-contact-taxpayers-electronically\"><strong>Scammers may also contact taxpayers electronically<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taxpayers should be on the lookout for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/newsroom\/taxpayers-see-wave-of-summer-email-text-scams-irs-urges-extra-caution-with-flood-of-schemes-involving-economic-impact-payments-employee-retention-credits-tax-refunds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">summer surge of tax scams<\/a> as identity thieves continue sending email and text messages promising tax refunds or offers to help &#8216;fix&#8217; tax problems. They may pose as the IRS or tax professionals, urging the taxpayer to click fraudulent links so the identity thieves can steal valuable personal information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taxpayers should remember: the IRS never initiates contact regarding a bill or tax refund by email, text or social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This article was republished with permission from the IRS.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source:  IRS.gov.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The articles and content published on this blog are provided for informational purposes only. The information presented is not intended to be, and should not be taken as, legal, financial, or professional advice. Readers are advised to seek appropriate professional guidance and conduct their own due diligence before making any decisions based on the information provided.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The information in this article is up to date for tax year 2023 (returns filed in 2024). Crooks are always looking for new ways to scam unsuspecting taxpayers. Scammers impersonate the IRS by phone or email, in person, or by mail or delivery service \u2013 and cost people their time and money. By staying vigilant [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":38290,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irs-and-government"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.13 (Yoast SEO v20.13) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Learn How to Protect Yourself From Scammers Posing as the IRS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Scammers have been posing as the IRS by phone, email, mail or delivery service to trick you out of your money. 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