The Iowa Department of Revenue wants you to watch out for identity theft and phishing scams. Here's what you need to know if you come across something suspicious. Is it a Scam? Did you receive a phone call, e-mail, or letter about your Iowa taxes? How do you know the communication received is actually from the Iowa Department of Revenue? The Iowa Department of Revenue does not initiate contact with taxpayers by e-mail to request personal or financial information. This include

Tax scams are continuing to be a major problem. Unfortunately, the scammers seem to be very active in our area based on the number of questions I've received recently. Scammers and cyber thieves continue to use the IRS as bait. The most common tax scams are phone calls and emails from thieves who pretend to be from the IRS. Scammers use the IRS name, logo, fake employee names and badge numbers to try to steal money and identities from taxpayers. Taxpayers need to be wary of p

Taxpayer beware, the scammers are still out there. The IRS recently warned people to watch out for a new scam linked to the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), where fraudsters call to demand an immediate tax payment through a prepaid debit card. EFTPS is an automated system for paying federal taxes electronically using the internet or by phone using the EFTPS Voice Response System. This scam is being reported across the country. In the latest twist, the scammer cl

The IRS has a specific way of contacting taxpayers. And sometimes, this is done in person. But the IRS wants you to know what you should expect if you are contacted in person by an IRS agent so that you can avoid being the target of a scam. Types of IRS Contact With continuing phone scams and in-person scams rampant, the IRS wants taxpayers to understand how and when they contact taxpayers and to help them determine whether a contact is truly from an IRS employee. While the I

The IRS says older individuals need to remain alert to aggressive and threatening phone calls by criminals impersonating IRS agents. The callers claim to be IRS employees, but they are not. These con artists can sound convincing when they call. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. They may know a lot about their targets, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling. The victims are told they owe money to the IRS and m

The IRS recently issued a warning to taxpayers to watch out for fake emails or websites looking to steal personal information. In these email schemes, criminals pose as a person or organization the taxpayer trusts or recognizes. They may hack an email account and send mass emails under another person’s name. They may pose as a bank, credit card company, tax software provider or government agency. Criminals go to great lengths to create websites that appear legitimate but con

Scammers have a new tactic to try and steal your money. The IRS issued an alert to taxpayers and tax professionals to watch out for fake emails claiming to contain an IRS tax bill related to the Affordable Care Act. The IRS has received numerous reports around the country of scammers sending a fraudulent version of CP2000 notices for tax year 2015. Generally, the scam involves an email that includes the fake CP2000 as an attachment. The CP2000 is a notice commonly mailed to t

The IRS is issuing another warning about scammers targeting students and their parents during this back to school season. This scam is continuing to be a big problem. IRS impersonators are calling students or parents and demanding that they pay the fake Federal Student Tax or other non-existent taxes. They demand to have money wired to them immediately. If the taxpayer doesn’t agree, the scammer becomes aggressive and threatens to report them to the police to be arrested. Par

IRS impersonation scams are on the rise. They can take many forms, but recently there has been a surge in robo-call phone scams. The IRS warns that scammers are using robo-calls (automated phone calls) and are demanding tax payments on iTunes or other gift cards. The scammers leave urgent callback requests and demand that the taxpayer pay their tax bill. They claim that this is the last warning before legal action will be taken. If the taxpayer calls them back, the scammers t

The tax deadline has come and gone, but now scammers have a new target – students. The Internal Revenue Service issued this warning to taxpayers. IRS impersonators are calling students and demanding payment for a fake tax that they call the Federal Student Tax. They try to convince people to wire money immediately to the scammer. They also threaten to report the student to the police. “These scams and schemes continue to evolve nationwide, and now they’re trying to trick stud