Tax season is upon us and the scams are back in full force inciting police to issue warnings to the public.

Scammers are taking to the phones with a scare tactic that has many falling victim to the ploy. Individuals will receive a call from someone who says they are from the IRS. They will say that you owe back taxes. From there they will threaten to arrest you or revoke your license, or threaten to sue you if you don’t pay immediately. In order to make good on what you supposedly owe, the scammer will tell you to put money on a prepaid debit card and give them the card numbers or to complete a money wire transfer. DO NOT.

The police want the public to know that the real IRS will not ask you to pay with prepaid debit cards or even wire transfers.  They also do not take credit cards over the phone. The IRS contacts you about unpaid taxes by mail, not by phone.

Police are advising that if you do get one of these calls, hang up the phone. They stress that individuals should never ever give out personal or financial information such as your social security number, financial information, credit card information or any passwords to these callers.

If you have tax questions, go to irs.gov or call the IRS at 800-829-1040. If you feel you have been the victim of a scam or know somebody that has, report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Call the FTC at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or TTY 1-866-653-4261. You can also go online: ftc.gov/complaint.

The IRS will officially begin accepting and processing tax returns for the 2019 tax year starting today.

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