Tax season is in full swing, which means IRS scams abound.
These scams have become more sophisticated, too.
Watch out for them by knowing their common characteristics.
MagnifyMoney explains that the most popular tax scams right now happen via phone or text.
Fraudsters will claim you have overdue IRS payments, and theyll often threaten you with penalties or jail time.
They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.
Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victims Social Security Number.
Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that its the IRS calling.
Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.
Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.
Those are obvious red flags.
If not, report the scam to theTreasury Inspector General for Tax Administrationat 1.800.366.4484.
MagnifyMoney has some additional precautionary advice, too.
Check out their full post.
Consumer Watchdog: Tax Scams| MagnifyMoney
Photo byJohn Morgan.
