There is a lot of new guidance coming out regularly. Unfortunately, there are also several new Coronavirus-related scams as well.
The Internal Revenue Service has urged taxpayers to be on the lookout for a surge of calls and email phishing attempts about the COVID-19. These contacts can lead to tax-related fraud and identity theft.
Per the IRS website, taxpayers should watch not only for emails but text messages, websites and social media attempts that request money or personal information.
The IRS reminds taxpayers that scammers may:
Emphasize the words “Stimulus Check” or “Stimulus Payment.” The official term is economic impact payment.
Ask the taxpayer to sign over their economic impact payment check to them.
Ask by phone, email, text or social media for verification of personal and/or banking information saying that the information is needed to receive or speed up their economic impact payment.
Suggest that they can get a tax refund or economic impact payment faster by working on the taxpayer’s behalf. This scam could be conducted by social media or even in person.
Mail the taxpayer a bogus check, perhaps in an odd amount, then tell the taxpayer to call a number or verify information online in order to cash it.
Those who receive unsolicited emails, text messages or social media attempts to gather information that appear to be from either the IRS or an organization closely linked to the IRS, such as the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), should forward it to phishing@irs.gov.
Official IRS information about the COVID-19 pandemic and economic impact payments can be found on the Coronavirus Tax Relief page on IRS.gov.
– Charles R. Green