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Looking to Dodge Scams During the Tax Season? Here's Some Expert Advice to Protect Yourself

Carrie Kerskie, the President of the Kerskie Group and an author, shares some tips on how the general public can outsmart scammers.

BY KRITIKA BHATIA

PUBLISHED APR 7, 2024

Cover Image Source: How to avoid tax scams (representative image) | Unsplash | Photo by Scott Graham

Apart from the complexities involved in filing taxes, a surge in tax scams that victimize innocent individuals and businesses can add to the stress at the end of the financial year. In several csases, fraudsters run away with the money luring people into tax refunds, Employee Retention Tax Credits (ERTC), or pose to help in the tax filing.

Giving away money to scammers is just like burning your own savings. Image Source: Unsplash|Photo by Jp Valery — Giving away money to scammers is just like burning your savings (representative image) | Unsplash | Photo by Jp Valery

Carrie Kerskie, the President of the Kerskie Group and an author, shares some tips on how the general public can outsmart scammers. She comments on the whole situation by saying, "This stuff can be overwhelming to people. In 15 years of meeting with victims, I’ve worked with people who’ve seen their entire life savings gone overnight. It can be devastating." She further adds, "With these types of crimes, it feels like you’re being played by a ghost. You never know who did it. You don’t know how they got your information. You don’t know where they are." Here are some of the last-minute tax tips provided by Kerskie.

Nowadays, there are many resources and organizations available to help you dodge these scams. One of the apps that people are unaware of is T-Mobile's Scam Shield which helps in locating scam calls with its feature of caller ID, scam ID, and blocking. Just sitting and blocking the scam calls won't help, it has become necessary to take huge further steps.

We generally keep hiding our phones from our families so that they are not able to see our secretive chats or maybe what we do. But where does this mindset vanish when it comes to scammers? It is very essential to not just keep strong passwords and PINs but also to keep them changing regularly by breaking the pattern. Additionally, with the online services prevailing, people are seen giving bank or other OTPs to unknown people sliding them into emptying their bank accounts.

In case of any suspicion, even if it is a false alarm, don't just stay quiet. It's better to be aware and report any suspicious activity or get in touch with the IRS at phishing@irs.gov. You can also file complaints at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov or ftc.gov/complaint. Additionally, T-users get another flexibility of reporting smishing texts by just messaging on 7726 and an action will be taken.

Sending money just because someone asked or maybe a scammer impersonated a family member is a very vague reason. They work to create medical or personal emergencies by manipulating people emotionally. It has become crucial to validate the sender's authenticity as people have lost thousands of dollars sending money to them, thinking they are helping their friends or family members. No reputed company contacts you through text messages or dubious emails asking for your personal information. If you witness anything of such sort, report it.

Note that the IRS will never initiate contact via phone, email or social media to request personal or financial information or immediate payment. If you owe taxes, you will receive a bill in the mail, and you can pay online or by mail using the official IRS website or address.