It feels like this story comes up about once every other month, and today we continue that unfortunate lineage or IRS scammers. The Internal Revenue Service has warned many Americans of the potential for scammers and con artists to ask for personal information in an attempt to swindle money from unsuspecting taxpayers.
According to the IRS, there have been over 600,000 such contacts since October 2013, and more than 4,000 people have reported a total of $20 million in lost earnings to these scammers.
These tax scammers can go to great lengths to make their inquests seem legitimate. They may use phone calls, e-mails or letters to try to get in touch with you. They will sound professional on the phone, and their letters or emails may contain letterheads or professional language and graphics to make it appears as though you are being contacted by the IRS — when you’re really not.
With that in mind, there are two lessons to take away from this story. The first is that regardless of whether you are being contacted by the IRS or an IRS scammer, you should confirm the inquest by contacting the IRS. If the inquest is indeed from the IRS, then you may need legal representation to help you deal with whatever tax issue the IRS has with your financial situation. Tax matters are inherently complex, especially when the IRS gets involved, so you need to protect yourself and your interests by getting an experienced and knowledgeable tax lawyer.
