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

Recently, there have been several scams where criminals pretend to be from the IRS and try to get taxpayers to give them money. The IRS wants you to know how they actually contact people so you can spot a scam. When the IRS needs to contact a taxpayer, the first contact is normally by letter delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. The IRS doesn't normally initiate contact with taxpayers by email. They also don’t send text messages or contact taxpayers through social media. Depe

Welcome to the 200th edition of Tax Tip Tuesday! This week we are going to address tax scams from a different angle based on a couple comments from our clients. We've been adamant about keeping you up-to-date on the latest tax scams, so many of you are aware of various signs that something is a scam. But your family members, who don't read this blog, might not be. Please talk to your grandparents, parents, and kids about the following signs of a scam. Scammers are very good a

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