The Internal Revenue Service today kicked off the week with the 5th item on its 2022 annual Dirty
\nDozen scams warning list, with a sad reminder that criminals still use the COVID-19 pandemic to
\nsteal people\u2019s money and identity with bogus emails, social media posts and unexpected phone
\ncalls, among other things.<\/p>\n
These scams can take a variety of forms, including using unemployment information and fake job
\noffers to steal money and information from people. All of these efforts can lead to sensitive
\npersonal information being stolen, with scammers using this to try filing a fraudulent tax return as
\nwell as harming victims in other ways.<\/p>\n
\u201cScammers continue using the pandemic as a device to scare or confuse potential victims into
\nhanding over their hard-earned money or personal information,\u201d said IRS Commissioner Chuck
\nRettig. \u201cI urge everyone to be leery of suspicious calls, texts and emails promising benefits that
\ndon\u2019t exist.\u201d<\/p>\n
The IRS has compiled the annual Dirty Dozen list for more than 20 years as a way of alerting
\ntaxpayers and the tax professional community about scams and schemes. The list is not a legal
\ndocument or a literal listing of agency enforcement priorities. It is designed to raise awareness
\namong a variety of audiences that may not always be aware of developments involving tax
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaution and awareness are our best lines of defense against these criminals,\u201d Rettig added.
\n\u201cEveryone should verify information on a trusted government website, such as IRS.gov.\u201d<\/p>\n
A common scam the IRS continues to see during this period involves using crises that affect all or
\nmost people in the nation, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the scams for which people
\nshould continue to be on the lookout include:<\/p>\n
Economic Impact Payment and tax refund scams: Identity thieves who try to use Economic Impact
\nPayments (EIPs), also known as stimulus payments, are a continuing threat to individuals. Similar
\nto tax refund scams, taxpayers should watch out for these tell-tale signs of a scam:<\/p>\n
Any text messages, random incoming phone calls or emails inquiring about bank account
\ninformation, requesting recipients to click a link or verify data should be considered suspicious and
\ndeleted without opening. This includes not just stimulus payments, but tax refunds and other
\ncommon issues.<\/p>\n
Remember, the IRS won\u2019t initiate contact by phone, email, text or social media asking for Social
\nSecurity numbers or other personal or financial information related to Economic Impact Payments.
\nAlso be alert to mailbox theft. Routinely check your mail and report suspected mail losses to postal
\ninspectors.<\/p>\n
Reminder: The IRS has issued all Economic Impact Payments. Most eligible people already received
\ntheir stimulus payments. People who are missing a stimulus payment or got less than the full
\namount may be eligible to claim a Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2020 or 2021 federal tax return.
\nTaxpayers should remember that the IRS website, IRS.gov, is the agency\u2019s official website for
\ninformation on payments, refunds and other tax information.<\/p>\n
Unemployment fraud leading to inaccurate taxpayer 1099-Gs: Because of the pandemic, many
\ntaxpayers lost their jobs and received unemployment compensation from their state. However,
\nscammers also took advantage of the pandemic by filing fraudulent claims for unemployment
\ncompensation using stolen personal information of individuals who had not filed claims. Payments
\nmade on these fraudulent claims went to the identity thieves.<\/p>\n
Taxpayers should also be on the lookout for a Form 1099-G reporting unemployment
\ncompensation they didn\u2019t receive. For people in this situation, the IRS urges them to contact their
\nappropriate state agency for a corrected form. If a corrected form cannot be obtained so that a
\ntaxpayer can file a timely tax return, taxpayers should complete their return claiming only the
\nunemployment compensation and other income they actually received. See Identity Theft and
\nUnemployment Benefits for tax details and DOL.gov\/fraud for state-by-state reporting
\ninformation.<\/p>\n
Fake employment offers posted on social media: There have been many reports of fake job
\npostings on social media. The pandemic created many newly unemployed people eager to seek
\nnew employment. These fake posts entice their victims to provide their personal financial<\/p>\n
information. This creates added tax risk for people because this information in turn can be used to
\nfile a fraudulent tax return for a fraudulent refund or used in some other criminal endeavor.<\/p>\n
Fake charities that steal your money: Bogus charities are always a problem. They tend to be a
\nbigger threat when there is a national crisis like the pandemic.<\/p>\n
Taxpayers who give money or goods to a charity may be able to claim a deduction on their federal
\ntax return. Taxpayers must donate to a qualified charity to get a deduction. To check the status of
\na charity, use the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search tool.<\/p>\n
Here are some tips to remember about fake charity scams:<\/p>\n
Individuals should never let any caller pressure them. A legitimate charity will be happy to get a
\ndonation at any time, so there\u2019s no rush. Donors are encouraged to take time to do the research.
\nPotential donors should ask the fundraiser for the charity\u2019s exact name, web address and mailing
\naddress, so it can be confirmed later. Some dishonest telemarketers use names that sound like
\nlarge well-known charities to confuse people.
\nBe careful how a donation is paid. Donors should not work with charities that ask them to pay by
\ngiving numbers from a gift card or by wiring money. That\u2019s how scammers ask people to pay. It\u2019s
\nsafest to pay by credit card or check \u2014 and only after having done some research on the charity.
\nFor more information about avoiding fake charities, visit the Federal Trade Commission website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Internal Revenue Service today kicked off the week with the 5th item on its 2022 annual Dirty Dozen scams warning list, with a sad reminder that criminals still use the COVID-19 pandemic to steal people\u2019s money and identity with bogus emails, social media posts and unexpected phone calls, among other things. These scams can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11029,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sin-categoria"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n