Our NYC CPA office shares this warning from the IRS: Remain vigilant against phishing emails and telephone scams especially at this time when those who had recently filed returns could be waiting for a response from the Service. The IRS has also urged taxpayers to be alert against year-round tax scams, which tend to evolve over time. Under the phone scam, the scammer warns the victim that if he or she does not call back, an arrest warrant would be issued or other law-enforcement agency intervention, deportation or revocation of licenses would be initiated. Further, taxpayers are advised to report unsolicited emails to phishing@irs.gov.

The IRS has also reminded taxpayers that it would never call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method, threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have a taxpayer arrested for not paying or demand that taxes be paid without giving the taxpayer the opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed. Taxpayers who do not owe taxes and have no reason to think they do, should not give out any information on call; instead, they should report it using the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration’s IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting web page. Taxpayers could also report the suspicious activity to the Federal Trade Commission by using FTC Complaint Assistant on FTC.gov.

Finally, taxpayers who owe tax or think that they do, should view tax account information online at IRS.gov to see the actual amount owed and also review their payment options. If you have any questions, please contact our NYC CPA office.