Tax Time Phone Scams on the Rise
March 13 2015 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
Intuit TurboTax Offers Tips to Protect
Yourself
Tax season is prime time for scammers to prey on innocent
taxpayers. Understanding these scams and what you can do will help
protect you and your money.
Phone scams are emerging as one of the most persistent and
prevalent problems for taxpayers. At a U.S. Senate Finance
Committee hearing on Wednesday, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said
callers are impersonating Internal Revenue Service employees and
frightening unsuspecting consumers by threatening arrests or repeal
of their driver’s license unless they receive immediate
payment. This year, IRS impersonators have become the largest and
most pervasive scam, costing Americans $15.5 million.
TurboTax®, from Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq:INTU) offers taxpayers the
following advice to protect themselves from tax time scams, and
reminds Americans that the IRS will never:
- Call to demand immediate payment, nor
will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed
you a bill.
- Demand that you pay taxes without
giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they
say you owe.
- Require you to use a specific payment
method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
- Ask for credit or debit card numbers
over the phone.
- Threaten to bring in local police or
other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not
paying.
If you receive a call from someone who claims to be with the IRS
asking you to pay back taxes, here’s what you should do:
- If you owe, or think you might owe
federal taxes: Hang up and call the IRS at 800-829-1040.
- If you don’t owe taxes: Report
the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax
Administration at 800-366-4484 or at www.tigta.gov.
- File a complaint: If you think
you’re a victim of a phone scam, you may also file a complaint
using the FTC Complaint Assistant; choose “Other” and then
“Imposter Scams.” If the complaint involves someone impersonating
the IRS, include the words “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.
To learn more about ways to safeguard your information, visit
Intuit’s online security center or go to IRS.gov to guard against
phone scams.
About Intuit Inc.
Intuit Inc. creates business and financial management solutions
that simplify the business of life for small businesses, consumers
and accounting professionals.
Its flagship products and services include QuickBooks®, Quicken®
and TurboTax®, which make it easier to manage small businesses and
payroll processing, personal finance, and tax preparation and
filing. Mint.com provides a fresh, easy and intelligent way for
people to manage their money, while Demandforce® offers marketing
and communication tools for small businesses. ProSeries® and
Lacerte® are Intuit's leading tax preparation offerings for
professional accountants.
Founded in 1983, Intuit had revenue of $4.5 billion in its
fiscal year 2014. The company has approximately 8,000 employees
with major offices in the United States, Canada, the United
Kingdom, India and other locations. More information can be found
at www.intuit.com.
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Intuit Inc.Julie Miller, 858-215-8469Julie_Miller@intuit.com
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