Earlier this week, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that Texas residents will have until June 15, 2021 to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.
While the news may provide some relief, it also provides scam artists with a longer time frame to take advantage of others. In 2019, there were 12,900 reports to BBB regarding government benefits fraud. In 2020, there were over 390,000 reports. That’s nearly a 3,000 percent increase over 2019 numbers. BBB encourages consumers to be on the lookout for a variety of scams which have surfaced during the pandemic.
“Tax season means tax scammers in the form of bogus IRS government agents, tax collectors and identity thieves are ready to strike,” Mechele Agbayani Mills, President & CEO of BBB Serving Central East Texas said. ”Remember, however, that tax scams can happen any time of year, so it’s always important to be vigilant.”
BBB advises consumers to be on the lookout for the following tax related scams:
1099-G Tax Scams. During the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment claims have reached historic levels and continue to climb. According to an estimate from the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Labor, at least $36 billion has been lost to improper unemployment payments. If you receive a 1099-G tax form for unemployment benefits and yet did…
