Watch Out For IRS Scams In Tax Season!

Tax season is coming up fast! The only group more excited about that than Uncle Sam is SCAMMERS! The fake factories are ramping up, pretending to be from the IRS or "tax helper" groups with fancy names, trying to scare you into sending money or giving away your personal info. The Federal Trade Commission says these sneaky phone scams are spiking big time right now, so be on your guard with these tips!

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Here are Five Fast Facts about avoiding IRS tax scams this tax season:

1. 👀 Now Is The Time - The FTC reports a huge surge now in people getting calls from fake IRS imposters or phony "tax resolution" agencies with names like “Tax Resolution Oversight Department.” They may sound official, but they're totally made up. Don't buy it.

2. 😎 It's (Not) Urgent - Scammers love urgency, saying things like, "final warning!" or "last attempt to reach you!" or "red flag check!" Take advice from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: DON'T PANIC.

3. 🦕 Comm Like A Dino - The real IRS will always reach out first by snail mail. Contacting you by any modern or efficient communication method is a key giveaway that it's a scam. Bonus indicator: if they contact you AND ask for payment or other private information...danger, Will Robinson!

4. 🤷 What To Do - The good news is that if you get one of these contacts, you can safely ignore it. Hang up, delete, block. Piece of cake! And you don't even have to feel guilty about it, either.

5. 💨 Fixing Oopsies - If you think you did get suckered, ACT FAST. Close the website or hang up the phone, and immediately change passwords or security questions to any account you gave up. Then monitor your statements and watch for fraudulent transactions. If you move fast enough, you might save yourself a lot of pain and hassle!

🔥Bottom line: The biggest thing is common sense: if some random person contacts you out of the blue claiming to be the IRS and demanding your info or payment RIGHT NOW (especially with unusual things like gift cards, wire transfers, or crypto), just delete them, block them, and laugh it off. Report suspicious stuff to phishing@irs.gov or the FTC, check everything directly on IRS.gov (type it in yourself) or call the official number (800-829-1040), and never click on their links. Stay smart this tax season, and those scammers can go bother someone else!

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Have you ever gotten one of these contacts?

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