Although the IRS has extended the tax deadline for Texas residents until June 15 due to the disruption caused by February’s winter storms, many Texans are investigating options to file their taxes, either personally or by using a qualified tax preparer.
Every year, tax-related scams significantly increase in frequency during tax season which normally runs from January through April 15. With the national extension to May 17 coupled with the Texas and Louisiana extensions to June 15, tax-related scams have a greater time window to enact their detrimental toll on American taxpayers, according to a news release from the Better Business Bureau.
The IRS has issued several alerts on popular versions of tax scams, including educational scams, unemployment benefit scams, “ghost” tax preparer scams and Social Security suspension scams. To combat the negative impacts of falling victim to these scams, it is important to understand how targets are exposed to scammers, indications of a possible scam and resources available to reassume control of your financial well-being.
Educational scams
On March 30, the IRS issued a warning of an ongoing IRS-impersonation scam that targets educational institutions, including students and staff who have “.edu” email addresses. The email displays the IRS logo and includes subject lines regarding tax refund payments. Recipients of the email are directed toward a phishing website where they are asked to provide personal information, such…
