... my neighbor actually received a call... the promise was to speed up her "rebate process" if she paid $39.95 /of course thru a cc number over the phone.

The top 12 cons for last year, joining the phone refund rip-off, other new cons involve Roth IRAs, the American Indian Employment Credit, domestic shell corporations and structured entities. Oldies but baddies returning to the list including "phishing" for personal information to assist in identity theft, zero wage claims and improper charitable deductions.

I was just curious if anyone else had been approaced or victimized by a tax scam.

Tim WR

Hah! we don’t even pick up the house phone anymore… just figure it must be a solicitor or drs office confirming an appointment. I am amazed that they can’t do more about catching these types of criminals… I mean look at identity theft, isn’t it up to the #1 consumer complaint in the country now. We purchased TrustedID a while back, and haven’t worried about it since. Or credit is locked, and we have peace of mind.

Steph

Rebate Phone Call
Refund e-Mail
Audit e-Mail
Changes to Tax Law e-Mail
Paper Check Phone Call

there are many...but never experienced it personally if you are being targeted then directly contact IRS people, by mail or phone

Tax rebates do nothing for the poor, but it can help those in the middle class and above.

But......it's a temporary solution.

Fraudsters are targeting thousands of taxpayers with scam emails asking for their bank details in order for them to claim tax rebates.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) reports that July saw a huge jump in the number of complaints made about the scam, known as a ‘phishing’ attack, and in the past year it has received over 15,000 reports of fraudulent repayment emails.

We don't answer the phone unless our caller ID displays a name or number we recognize.

I'm guessing when the call to offer to speed up your tax return, not only do they ask for the $39 credit card fee, but of course they would need your Social Security Number as well in order to notify the IRS you had enrolled in their express service.

If you're gullable enough to fall for such an obvious scam, well... perhaps you deserve to learn the hardway. How can someone not recognize this as a scam?