You probably haven’t missed the IRS-themed mail that clogs your mailbox and email inbox this tax season, as the agency opened returns weeks earlier than usual. But as you check your financial forms and clamor for that refund, beware of scammers who pretend to be the government. “Scammers use every way they can to steal your personal information,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a recent alert.

What is PPI refund?

The scams include calls from fake IRS employees who claim you owe taxes and demand immediate payment using suspicious payment methods such as pre-paid debit cards, iTunes cards and wire transfers. They threaten you with arrest, a revoked driver’s license and even blacklisting of your Social Security number. It’s important to remember that the IRS never initiates contact with taxpayers through social media, email or text message and will not ask for credit card or bank account numbers over the phone. Link : https://www.elnuevoherald.com/noticias/finanzas/article276162141.html

Rettig’s alert also warns of a new text message scam targeting consumers with COVID-19 relief and stimulus payments, and urges consumers to beware phishing attacks via their smartphones. For example, criminals may pose as a legitimate IRS employee and request a consumer’s bank account information under the guise of direct depositing their $1,200 Economic Impact Payment. The crooks then steal the consumer’s private banking information to steal their funds. This is phishing on an industrial scale, Rettig says. The IRS and its Security Summit partners also remind consumers that the agency will never send a text message to you with your taxpayer ID, Social Security number or any other sensitive information.