It’s tax season once again, and that means scammers are busy trying to file fraudulent tax returns in your name.
We’ve received a report of a vish (the telephonic equivalent of a phishing email) claiming to come from the IRS. The robo-call claims to be your final notice and “warns” you that the IRS is filing a lawsuit against you for an unspecified reason. The recipient is instructed to call (360) 663-4301 for more information, presumably to provide your Social Security number, date of birth, and other personal information. Do NOT call this number; it’s an obvious scam.
One of the best ways to avoid falling victim to fraudulent tax returns is to file early. If you do, any scammers who attempt to file returns in your name afterward will be rejected by the IRS. If you use a tax service to assist you in filing your returns, make sure that it’s a legitimate service and that you’re communicating with it over a secure connection. Look for an “https://” in the URL. And watch out for phishing and vishing scams that try to take advantage of tax season.