Tax day is just about a week away. As that deadline approaches, scammers could be looking to take advantage of the last-minute pressure.”For every new day, there’s a new scam,” Heather Deare, director of civil legal services at the Rural Law Center of New York, said. The April 15 tax deadline is coming up fast, and scammers are looking to capitalize on unsuspecting targets. “I think people who do scam, they take advantage of that, because all of our information is out on the internet,” Deare said. Phone calls, emails and text messages are common fraud tactics. Experts say someone from the IRS would actually send written notifications, and they also won’t pressure you.”The IRS isn’t going to call you; they’re going to send you a letter,” Jennifer Blaire, office manager at Liberty Tax, said. “If you don’t pay us by a certain date, we’re going to have the local sheriff come and put you in jail. That’s not happening,” Deare said. “I think any time they’re asking you for that kind of immediate payment or that immediate threat, it’s going to be a scam.” The IRS would also never ask for gift cards or cryptocurrency as payment.”‘You can send us gift cards;’ that’s always a scam. ‘You can send us bitcoin or cryptocurrency,’ anything like that … it’s probably a scam,” Deare said. Although older adults are often targeted, anybody can fall victim.”Any group can be targeted, but we do particularly see our older population being more targeted,” Deare said. Senior Planet from AARP in Plattsburgh, NY, is helping seniors avoid these types of situations. They say to pause and reach out to someone you trust.”Reach out to somebody you trust just before you panic, before you go to the bank, before you send any money or do anything like that,” Nathan Swan, lead trainer at Senior Planet, said. “Pause, take a breath and reach out to somebody you trust.”Experts also recommend reaching out to local, credible tax services if you do get any notifications, so you can double-check before sharing any personal information.
Tax day is just about a week away. As that deadline approaches, scammers could be looking to take advantage of the last-minute pressure.
“For every new day, there’s a new scam,” Heather Deare, director of civil legal services at the Rural Law Center of New York, said.
The April 15 tax deadline is coming up fast, and scammers are looking to capitalize on unsuspecting targets.
“I think people who do scam, they take advantage of that, because all of our information is out on the internet,” Deare said.
Phone calls, emails and text messages are common fraud tactics.
Experts say someone from the IRS would actually send written notifications, and they also won’t pressure you.
“The IRS isn’t going to call you; they’re going to send you a letter,” Jennifer Blaire, office manager at Liberty Tax, said.
“If you don’t pay us by a certain date, we’re going to have the local sheriff come and put you in jail. That’s not happening,” Deare said. “I think any time they’re asking you for that kind of immediate payment or that immediate threat, it’s going to be a scam.”
The IRS would also never ask for gift cards or cryptocurrency as payment.
“‘You can send us gift cards;’ that’s always a scam. ‘You can send us bitcoin or cryptocurrency,’ anything like that … it’s probably a scam,” Deare said.
Although older adults are often targeted, anybody can fall victim.
“Any group can be targeted, but we do particularly see our older population being more targeted,” Deare said.
Senior Planet from AARP in Plattsburgh, NY, is helping seniors avoid these types of situations. They say to pause and reach out to someone you trust.
“Reach out to somebody you trust just before you panic, before you go to the bank, before you send any money or do anything like that,” Nathan Swan, lead trainer at Senior Planet, said. “Pause, take a breath and reach out to somebody you trust.”
Experts also recommend reaching out to local, credible tax services if you do get any notifications, so you can double-check before sharing any personal information.
Click Here For The Original Source.
