The tax filing period opens one week from today but the Better Business Bureau says the IRS scam seen throughout 2015 is already popping up in Alaska again this year.
Michelle Tabler, Alaska Regional Manager with the BBB, says a letter was brought into her office yesterday, stating the person who received it owed money for taxes and the man had already acted.
Tabler: “He called the phone number, they wanted his social security number and he gave it. I said, ‘Well did you really owe money?’ And he said, ‘Well I don’t know, they were contacting me so I thought I did.’ It was obviously a fake letter but we had to give him the information about what to do for possible identity theft.”
She says if Alaskans receive letters like these, which seem just a little off, they should contact their local IRS office to inquire about any funds owed instead of calling the phone number listed.
The phone scams where impostors impersonate an IRS official, demanding payment by threatening jail are also continuing.
Tabler: “They may have the last four of your social security number, they may have your name, your address, there’s different things to make it sound more legit but again the IRS is not going to call you. If the call is unsolicited, it’s okay to hang up the phone.”
Tabler says people should take additional precautions against identity theft this time of year: never file taxes online via public computers or wifi, never click on unsolicited emails that offer tax filing, and send tax information from a secure mailbox.
The Internal Revenue Service says consumers lost over $23 million in the past three years due to scams like these where impostors pose as federal agents, tricking victims into making fake tax payments.
The BBB recommends theses precautions:
- E-file only from secure computers. Make sure anti-virus software is up-to-date. Never use public Wi-Fi to file tax returns.
- Don’t file taxes from a link in an email.
- Mail tax returns from the post office or a secure mailbox. Placing documents that include personal information in an unsecured mailbox with the flag up can alert thieves that there is something to steal.
- Shred old tax returns. Income tax returns and worksheets should be kept for seven years from the filing date.
- Know your tax preparer.
