Beware Of New ‘Fake Tax Agency’ Scam Making Waves
This is getting ridiculous.
It has been a long year of dealing with what seems like one tax scam after another. Although we are almost out of tax season, it seems the scammers aren't quite done yet.
According to the IRS, there is a new "fake tax agency" scam making the rounds.
Here's how it works: you receive a letter in the mail pretending to be from the IRS. The letter threatens a lien or levy from the IRS which focuses on "fake delinquent taxes owed to the Bureau of Tax Enforcement." That agency does not exist.
This scam may be harder to spot, as it isn't a telemarketer type voice on the other end of the phone AND we all know that the IRS won't call us on the phone but will reach out to us via mail instead. Basically, scammers are getting smarter as we learn more about their methods.
Do your research if you get a letter like this. Don't give away any personal information without authenticating the source. It is way easier in the long run to take a few extra minutes up front and do some research than to be scammed and have to deal with the consequences later.
You should also take a few minutes to read up on the IRS, so you know if it is truly them reaching out to you in the future.
In May, the FCC released a warning to everyone regarding one-ring phone calls. It was one of the more elaborate scams we've been dealt this year.