Please be advised that we were recently notified of a tax scam whereby an imposter claiming to be an IRS agent contacted a taxpayer with the intent of collecting phony income taxes, penalties and interest. While this has been a long-standing problem, the IRS recently issued a new warning against thieves who contact taxpayers by telephone, email or letter to deceive them into issuing payment for fraudulent tax liabilities or divulging personal financial information.

These scams can be difficult to identify. Potential victims may see a fake caller ID number that identifies the call as coming from the IRS or receive mail/e-mail that appears to be printed on IRS letterhead. The scammers typically try to intimidate victims into immediate action by threatening imprisonment or other adverse consequences.  These tactics are often accompanied by a remedy such as sending a payment to what they claim is an IRS address.

If you receive an IRS communication that seems suspicious or does not make sense, please call our office. Whether you are facing a legitimate tax issue or a scam, we can help you sort through the details and determine how to respond.  You can report incidents to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.  Remember, too, that the IRS website is www.irs.gov, so be on alert if you’re directed to another similar site that ends in .com or .net instead of .gov.