April 15 is fast approaching, and millions of Americans are in the final days of preparing their 2018 tax returns for the IRS. Tax time is also prime time for scammers and identity thieves.
 
Their techniques are varied, but scammers have one thing in common—their contact is intended to intimidate and create a sense of urgency in the victim to rectify a potential problem.

Scammers may know a lot about their targets, or nothing at all. Commonly, the caller will demand payment in some form (frequently wire transfers or gift cards) to clear up a tax-related problem, or the scammer will attempt to get the victim to divulge more personal information, including their birth date or Social Security number.
 
Be aware! E-mails and calls from the IRS are a scam intended to steal your identity. The IRS will NEVER call you on the phone or e-mail you about a problem with your taxes—they will always send you a letter in the U.S. mail first.

If you receive an e-mail regarding a problem with your taxes, you can delete it. If you get a phone call about a problem with your taxes, it’s fine to hang up. Don’t trust your caller ID—it’s incredibly easy to clone a phone number to make a call appear that it’s coming from a legitimate IRS agent.

If you’re truly concerned that there could be a problem with your taxes, please don’t call any number referenced the e-mail or the phone call! You can speak to a legitimate IRS agent on the phone by calling the agency’s general tax assistance number at 1-800-829-1040.

Hearing impaired individuals can reach a live IRS agent by calling 1-800-829-4059. The IRS number for businesses seeking tax assistance is 1-800-829-4933.

Read more about the latest IRS and tax–related scams at https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-scams-consumer-alerts.