With tax time, comes an increase in tax scams. That’s according to Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who says the scams may arrive in your mailbox, by text or email, or by phone.
As part of a popular mail scam, she says a letter with the IRS logo arrives in a cardboard envelope. It often tells the recipient they have an unclaimed refund and provides fake phone numbers for the IRS. Mendoza says they will often ask for a copy of your driver’s license and social security number and other personal information that you should never be sharing. Mendoza says poor grammar and mismatched fonts within the letter should be red flags that it is not from the IRS.
Mendoza herself received a phone call from scammers who insisted her mother owed taxes, and she needed to pay right away. She said with this scam, they often pray on people who may have difficulty understanding English. The caller, she says, will be very aggressive in demanding immediate payment by wire transfer, debit or credit card, or even gift cards and may claim you could be arrested or deported (in the case of an immigrant).
Mendoza reminds Illinoisans to also be wary of texts and emails and to never click on a link from an unknown sender. Once you click on a link, hackers will gain access to your computer and be able to access your passwords, sensitive personal information and even bank accounts.
Phishing scams can be reported to the IRS by emailing phishing@irs.gov.