Scammers posing as government officials is nothing new, but now they’re pretending to help with income taxes, hoping to steal your personal information and refund.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Your phone rings but you don’t recognize the number so it goes to voicemail. The voice on the other end sounds friendly, offering to help you with your taxes.
Sounds safe, right? Wrong. It’s probably a new type of scam going around looking to steal your tax refund. The calendar will soon turn to March which means we’re at the height of tax season, and there are even more reasons taxpayers should be careful.
The Better Business Bureau says there’s a new phishing technique aimed at scamming people out of money and experts have some tips on how to avoid becoming a victim.
By now, everyone’s heard a lot about phishing, where scammers try to steal your personal information by getting their victims to respond to an email. “Smishing” is the same idea, except by text message. The latest approach uses voicemails, and it’s called “vishing.”
Scammers are getting cordial this tax season and will pretend to offer a helping hand by posing as someone from a “tax help center” about back…
