Nearly everyone knows the deep voice of actor Alan Thicke. Now in his late 60s, the actor many of us loved on the TV sitcom Growing Pains has become the pitch man for a tax relief service called “Optima Tax Relief.” The radio commercials—and the Optima Tax Relief website—feature a very earnest Alan Thicke saying, “Hi folks, this is Alan Thicke. If you’re one of the millions of Americans who owes back taxes, then you’ve heard…the IRS is cracking down this year…”
First off, let me say I don’t agree with Optima’s use of commercials that portray the IRS as evil and Optima as a guardian angel. That, however, is another issue altogether. The problem at hand is that Optima’s advertising has been so successful that the brand is now well-recognized by consumers—and scammers.
Perhaps the surest sign of success is when the scammers realize you’re a big enough name to leverage your reputation. That’s exactly where Optima is now. While Optima Tax Relief may be a legitimate service helping people to deal with tax issues, the “Optima” brand is being used by impostors to lure consumers into giving away their identities.
Here are just three examples from this week’s email inbox. All three have a “from” address of “Optima—IRS Forgiveness Programs.” The real “from” addresses of these emails are really a UK domain name registered to a Canadian with a server located in Kiev. That doesn’t sound good. Neither does this one. The registrant shields his identity with a Panamanian domain protection service for his website in Moscow. If you’d prefer to stick to a US location, no problem. This last one is awaiting confirmation of the domain registrant’s information for CabbageTown, NV. Really, I didn’t make that up.
Obviously, you can’t trust those emails. Put them in junk, delete them, and never look back. And most importantly, do not click the links in the emails. Otherwise, you’ll have far bigger problems than the IRS knocking on your door.
Simple if y’all pay your taxes in the first place and stop trying to be slick you would not need tax relief..you did it to yourself..
What a total scam company. Alan Thicke….miserable actor out for money and is a total hack. Fools and their money….
Hello there, so upon hearing these reviews from other people; are you saying that their isn’t a true website or official office called Optima tax relief service that are dedicated to helping people with tax problems ? If their is a true agency or office; how do i contact the legitimate one’s.
Hi Antonio, there is an Optima Tax Relief website and it is an actual agency. Many people who have dealt with them have felt the company over-promises results. In Optima’s defense, I have to say there will always be disgruntled customers, especially when dealing with an issue like taxes. On the flip side, the number of complaints should raise red flags. My concern is that if someone is considering using them, they should be aware of those red flags before making a commitment.
Nobody feels sorry you people that stiffs the IRS for years then want people or it’s to feel sorry for y’all when your finally caught and have to pay up…. y’all do it to yourselves.. they need to take everything y’all own..
What would you say is the best way to go about taking legal action against this company? There is a clause in their contract, which I signed that says you give up your right to sue. Only Arbitration is allowed. That seems fruitless. Writing a letter to the FCC and the Attorney General. Truly a scam targeting low income people especially through urban radio ads.
Thanks for the question, Kali. I’m not a lawyer, so I’m not sure of all the options. However, unless you sustained large losses, taking legal action as an individual would be extremely aggravating and fruitless. Because there are many people who feel as you do, the law does provide for class action suits. Either of those choices should be discussed with an attorney you trust. Best of luck, Terry
Optima does not really have a legitimate business, check the part of this review where they go into how Optima has 100 reviews that are 1 star that do not show up on yelp:
http://www.taxresolutionprofessionals.com/news/optima-tax-relief-review
I have been looking into Optima since I called them last week, but it truly just seems like high pressure sales, and the sales guy had no knowledge of the tax problems at all, I could tell he was just winging it.
good post on optima on that site too, i almost was swayed into hiring them until i researched, found this post and that post. i actually just used the guides on that tax resolution professionals site to do it myself, well see what happens.
I just basically work on the presumption that any “offer” I did not solicit or otherwise recognize is nothing more than spam to be sent to that category and flushed away immediately.
How right you are, Tom. that is absolutely the best policy to follow.