Tax preparers warn residents to watch for fraud during filing season

With income tax season comes tax fraud, and if fraudsters do not get their way, they can be persistent. Two prominent income tax businesses in the area were willing to share some stories, ranging from supposed contest winnings to phony paper filings to strange phone calls.

Renea Riesen of H&R Block in Cadiz told of a phone call she received from California from a woman who spoke broken English. When Riesen asked why the woman was calling from California, the answer was, “you have good reviews.” After further questioning, the woman remained persistent until Riesen had enough.

“I can assure you I’m not qualified to do whatever you want me to do,” she said.

The call from California was unusual, but Riesen said other attempts include bogus dividend statements with a federal withholding amount of $20,000. She said that amount was too unusual and not something she typically sees for federal withholding. She added that this type of scam has been circulating for some time.

“Once you start asking questions, they disappear,” she said of the fraud attempts. “As tax preparers, we’re constantly on the lookout.”

More than 10 years ago, the IRS introduced the Identity Protection PIN, which prevents a person from filing taxes without it. A new PIN is issued each year to help prevent fraud. According to IRS.gov, the IP PIN is a six-digit number “that prevents someone else from filing a tax return using your Social Security number.”

Anyone with a Social Security number is eligible, and parents or legal guardians also can request an IP PIN for dependents.

Pat Moore of Moore Tax Service in Cadiz discussed the usual scams that have been around for years. One of the most common, he said, is a caller claiming to be from the IRS. Both Moore and Riesen said the IRS will never call out of the blue. Riesen said unless there is an ongoing correspondence with the IRS, the agency will not make an unsolicited phone call.

“You just want to make sure you report all of your income,” Moore warned, “because they’re going to find it sooner or later.”

Moore also shared a story about a bogus IRS agent who called and told him to make a payment or the sheriff would pay him a visit. Moore said he happened to be in a good mood and decided to toy with the caller.

“Really, the sheriff’s a friend of mine. Let me call him up,” Moore recalled saying, but he was told not to do that.

“Oh no, you can’t do that,” Moore said he was told.

Huntington Bank also sent warnings by email outlining common scams to watch for, including fake messages or websites.

“Always verify the sender of any unexpected message by going directly to official sites and never click links in unsolicited messages,” the warning stated.

The bank also noted the IRS will not contact people through social media to request personal information or collect a debt. It encouraged people to file taxes as soon as possible to help limit opportunities for fraudsters. Huntington also warned against trusting caller ID alone.

“Fraudsters can spoof phone numbers to look like law enforcement or other official sources,” according to the Huntington website.

The bank encourages people who are unsure about a notification to visit the “Notices & Letters” section at IRS.gov.