WASHINGTON ALERT-TAX SCAMS In a new warning issued on Jan. 23, IRS urged taxpayers to be aware that tax-related scams proliferate during the filing season. (IR 2014-5) As described by the agency, tax scams can take many forms. It is often the case that perpetrators pose as IRS personnel in everything from e-mail refund schemes to phone impersonation. Taxpayers must be extremely vigilant of any unexpected communication that is purportedly from the IRS at the start of tax season, the agency said. IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email or any other mode of electronic communications to request personal or financial information. The agency will never ask for personal identification numbers, passwords or similar confidential access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts. IRS made a number of suggestions for taxpayers to help protect themselves against scams and identity theft, including the following: dont carry your Social Security card or any documents that include your Social Security number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN); dont give a business your SSN or ITIN unless it is absolutely required; and dont give personal information over the phone, through the mail or on the Internet unless you have initiated the contact and are sure of the recipient. Taxpayers also should be very careful when choosing a tax preparer, IRS said. While most preparers provide excellent service to their clients, a few unscrupulous return preparers file false and fraudulent tax returns and ultimately defraud their clients, it added. Additional information can be found at irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Watch-Out-for-Tax-Scams-as-Filing-Season-Opening-Nears Commencing on Jan. 28, IRS will be offering a special series of daily tax tips to help people prepare their tax returns, the agency has announced. (IR 2014-6) According to IRS, more than 60 IRS Tax Tips will be available through a free email subscription or by visiting the agencys website. The tips, one available each business day through the April 15 tax deadline, offer single-topic briefs on tax topics affecting millions of people, the agency said. Topics to be covered in the series include the following: how to avoid tax scams; assistance available through the IRS website; eligibility for claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit; Free File; choosing a tax preparer; tax return errors that delay refunds; the home office deduction; education tax credits; and ways to pay taxes due. To receive IRS Tax Tips on a daily basis by email, subscribe at irs.gov/uac/Subscribe-to-IRS-Tax-Tips In what amounted to a preview of an upcoming report to Congress, the head of IRSs whistleblower program said on Jan. 22 that the agency disbursed an estimated $50 million in awards during fiscal year 2013. This constituted the second highest amount ever paid out in whistleblower awards during a fiscal year, said Stephen Whitlock, director of the IRS Whistleblower Office. Roughly, three quarters of [the $50 million] amount was paid to our client, Erica Brady, an attorney with The Ferraro Law Firm, said in a Jan. 23 blog post on The Whistleblower Report. Whitlock discussed the lengthy process that eventually leads to the payment of a whistleblower award. The process involves an audit, an assessment of tax, a possible administrative appeal and possible judicial appeals. The entire process can easily range from five to seven years, he said. The agency is restricted by taxpayer privacy rules regarding the information it is permitted to release in whistleblower cases, Whitlock said. Whitlock made his comments during an event cosponsored by the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section and Center for Professional Development. The heads of whistleblower programs at the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission also participated.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 15:15:49 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015