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The IRS has recently issued a new alert on a phishing technique directed toward members of the military, retirees, and civilian employees. Phishing is a criminal attempt to acquire personal information such as social security number, username and login information, credit card numbers and more. More often than not these attempts are electronically based and present themselves as legitimate emails and/or webpages. You should always be vigilant when giving out your personal information and should rarely if ever provide this information to an unknown source. Never enter this information after following a link from an email or suspicious website.
This new scam appears to be an email from DFAS (Defense Finance and Accounting Service) and even appears as a .mil email address. The email promises pthe possibility in increased availability for disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs and then asks the recipient to send off various forms to verify eligibility. Once these forms are sent the scammers will use the information on them to instigate identity theft.
The IRS is actively pursuing this case and others like it but vigilance is key. As soon as this threat is neutralized there will undoubtedly be another to take its place. The IRS maintains a list of current phishing scams that is constantly updated. You can access this list here. Please know that TaxSlayer.com will NEVER request your personal information via email and ONLY through our secure servers.
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Every year the IRS releases its most common “tax scams.” These 12 scams, referred to by the IRS as the “Dirty Dozen,” are the most common pitfalls for tax payers and are prevalent year round. With that being said, taxpayers are most likely to encounter them around tax time, which is, NOW. I will provide a brief description of a few of these scams but you can find the detailed list here.
• Identity Theft - Becoming more and more common identity theft are some of the most common and complex issues faced by the IRS. The IRS will notify a taxpayer if multiple returns have been filed using their information. The IRS also maintains a robust screening process to weed out fraudulent returns. However, if you believe you are a victim of identity theft contact the IRS immediately.
• Phishing - Phishing can begin from a fraudulent email or letter encouraging you to provide your personal information. Please note that the IRS will never send a letter or email requesting such information. If you receive an email or letters like this contact the IRS immediately.
• Return Preparer Fraud - First and foremost you can avoid this by preparing your own return on TaxSlayer.com!! Some preparers take advantage of their customers by filing inflated returns or even skimming off the top of their refunds.
These are just the three most common scams. Make sure that you read over the entire list to help prevent yourself from falling victim to one of them. TaxSlayer.com has safeguards built in to help make sure you are protected.
