Nobody enjoys paying their taxes, right? From compiling information to filing forms, the whole process is a pain. The scammers know this. They also know most people dread getting in trouble with the IRS. That’s what makes the 2023 IRS tax scams so effective.
Tips to avoid the 2023 IRS tax scams
Take a bird’s eye view of the 2023 IRS tax scams, and you’ll realize they aren’t much different than other money-demand scams. Some guy contacts you and tells you to pay up or else. In this case, the ‘or else’ involves jail time because you’re violating the law. Pretty scary stuff. Like other scams, the whole house of cards is held up by a combination of fear, intimidation, and trickery.
Gone Phishing
Like other modern scams, the bad guys have learned that they can send an email with some threatening language and a link, and some percentage of the recipients will click the link. These people can’t resist it. Whether it’s curiosity or gullibility, the result is the same—trouble.
Tip #1: Links to documents will probably download malware; links to websites will go to a fake website controlled by the scammer. So, as Dirty Harry famously said, “Are you feeling lucky today?” My answer is that I’m never feeling so lucky that I think I can outsmart a professional scammer. As always, the old rule applies—don’t click the stupid link! Delete the email because the IRS doesn’t send unsolicited emails to taxpayers; they use the mail.
IRS calling
The IRS doesn’t make threatening phone calls or call about your refund. According to their website, The IRS will never:
- Call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method, such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. Generally, the IRS will first mail a bill to taxpayers who owe taxes.
- Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have the taxpayer arrested for not paying.
- Demand that taxes be paid without giving taxpayers the opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed.
- Call unexpectedly about a tax refund.
Tip #2: Don’t answer the phone if you don’t know who’s calling. For iPhone users, there’s a simple feature that can be very helpful. It’s called Silence Unknown Callers. When turned on, any call that’s not from someone in your contacts goes to voicemail. I’m sure Android phones have a similar feature. I leave this setting on 90% of the time. And for those times when I need to be able to receive a call from a number that’s not in my contacts, I’m very cautious when I answer the phone.
If you’d like more details about the 2023 IRS tax scams, check out this Nerdwallet post. Also, here’s a link to my February scam tip, Five flavors of Facebook Marketplace scams, just in case you missed it. Click here to view more Friday Morning Post entries, or you can follow me on Twitter.
