The IRS is releasing its “Dirty Dozen” Tax Scams for 2021.
See below for information from the IRS on the top tax scams and how to recognize them. For more information visit the complete Dirty Dozen list.
Fake charities
Scams requesting donations for disaster relief efforts are especially common on the phone. Taxpayers should always check out a charity before they donate, and they should not feel pressured to give immediately. Here are some tips to remember about fake charity scams:
- Individuals should never let any caller pressure them. A legitimate charity will be happy to get a donation at any time, so there’s no rush. Donors are encouraged to take time to do the research.
- Some dishonest telemarketers use names that sound like large well-known charities to confuse people. Potential donors should ask the fundraiser for the charity’s exact name, web address and mailing address, so it can be confirmed later.
- Be careful how a donation is paid. Donors should not work with charities that ask them to pay by giving numbers from a gift card or by wiring money. It’s safest to pay by credit card or check.
For more information about fake charities see the information on fake charity scams on the Federal Trade Commission website.
Immigrant/senior fraud
IRS impersonators and other scammers are known to target groups with limited English proficiency as well as senior citizens. These tax scams often threaten jail time, deportation or revocation of a driver’s license from someone claiming to be with the IRS.
The IRS reminds taxpayers that the first contact with the IRS will usually be through mail, not over the phone. Legitimate IRS employees will not threaten to revoke licenses or have a person deported. These are scare tactics.
As phone tax scams pose a major threat to people with limited access to information, including individuals not entirely comfortable with the English language, the IRS has added new features to help those who are more comfortable in a language other than English. The Schedule LEP PDF allows a taxpayer to select in which language they wish to communicate. Once they complete and submit the schedule, they will receive future communications in that selected language preference.
Seniors beware
Senior citizens and those who care about them need to be on alert for tax scams targeting older Americans. In an effort to make filing taxes easier for seniors, the IRS reminds seniors born before Jan. 2, 1956 that the IRS has re-designed the Form 1040 and its instructions, and that they can use the Form 1040SR and related instructions.
The IRS reminds seniors that the best source for information about their federal taxes is the IRS website.
“Pennies on the dollar”
An “offer,” or OIC, is an agreement between a taxpayer and the IRS that resolves the taxpayer’s tax debt. The IRS has the authority to settle, or “compromise,” federal tax liabilities by accepting less than full payment under certain circumstances.
The IRS reminds taxpayers to beware of promoters claiming their services are needed to settle with the IRS, that their tax debts can be settled for “pennies on the dollar” or that there is a limited window of time to resolve tax debts through the Offer in Compromise (OIC) program.
Taxpayers should be especially wary of promoters who claim they can obtain larger offer settlements than others or who make misleading promises that the IRS will accept an offer for a small percentage. Companies advertising on TV or radio frequently can’t do anything for taxpayers that they can’t do for themselves by contacting the IRS directly.
Taxpayers can go to IRS.gov and review the Offer in Compromise Pre-Qualifier Tool to see if they qualify for an OIC. The IRS reminds taxpayers that under the First Time Penalty Abatement policy, taxpayers can go directly to the IRS for administrative relief from a penalty that would otherwise be added to their tax debt.
Unscrupulous tax return preparers
Although most tax preparers are ethical and trustworthy, taxpayers should be wary of preparers who won’t sign the tax returns they prepare, often referred to as ghost preparers. For e-filed returns, the “ghost” will prepare the return, but refuse to digitally sign as the paid preparer.
By law, anyone who is paid to prepare, or assists in preparing federal tax returns, must have a valid Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN). Paid preparers must sign and include their PTIN on the return. Not signing a return is a red flag that the paid preparer may be looking to make a quick profit by promising a big refund or charging fees based on the size of the refund.
Unscrupulous tax return preparers may also:
- Require payment in cash only and will not provide a receipt.
- Invent income to qualify their clients for tax credits.
- Claim fake deductions to boost the size of the refund.
- Direct refunds into their bank account, not the taxpayer’s account.
It’s important for taxpayers to choose their tax return preparer wisely. Contact one of our offices today.
Unemployment insurance fraud
States, employers and financial institutions need to be aware of the following scams related to unemployment insurance:
- Identity-related fraud: Filers submit applications for unemployment payments using stolen or fake identification information to perpetrate an account takeover.
- Employer-employee collusion fraud: The employee receives unemployment insurance payments while the employer continues to pay the employee reduced, unreported wages.
- Misrepresentation of income fraud: An individual returns to work and fails to report the income to continue receiving unemployment insurance payments, or in an effort to receive higher unemployment payments, applicants claim higher wages than they actually earned.
- Fictitious employer-employee fraud: Filers falsely claim they work for a legitimate company, or create a fictitious company, and supply fictitious employee and wage records to apply for unemployment insurance payments.
- Insider fraud: State employees use credentials to inappropriately access or change unemployment claims, resulting in the approval of unqualified applications, improper payment amounts, or movement of unemployment funds to accounts that are not on the application.
Below is a shortlist of financial red flag indicators of unemployment fraud:
- Unemployment payments are coming from a state other than the state in which the customer reportedly resides or has previously worked.
- Multiple state unemployment payments are made within the same disbursement timeframe.
- Unemployment payments are made in the name of a person other than the account holder or in the names of multiple unemployment payment recipients.
- Numerous deposits or electronic funds transfers (EFTs) are made that indicate they are unemployment payments from one or more states to people other than the account holder(s).
- A higher amount of unemployment payments is seen in the same timeframe compared to similar customers and the amount they received.