THE federal government is warning taxpayers to lookout for three red flags in order to avoid IRS tax return scams this filing season.
With the IRS now accepting tax returns, the agency detailed signs that may indicate a fraudster is trying to steal your cash or personal information.
The IRS said one of the first steps in avoiding a scam when filing your taxes is to do your research and select a reputable tax preparer.
The tax preparer should go over the tax return with you in detail, explain fees being charged, and detail the refund amount you should expect.
You should later compare the amount to the total you actually receive in your refund, IRS Special Agent in Charge Andy Tsui told Montana news station KGVO.
SOCIAL MEDIA WARNING
Another warning from Tsui was to be extra critical of any tax-related information you see on social media.
The IRS sees an uptick in tax-related scams during filing season as fraudsters know many Americans are interacting with the IRS to some degree.
Common scams involve someone pretending to be IRS personnel.
“If you’re seeing something online or even on social media, before you take an actual step forward in providing information or even paying for something, just take a step back,” Tsui told KGVO.
“Make sure you do your due diligence, or some kind of research, to make sure it’s not a scam. I think when people act really quickly on something, and without…
