April is the season for taxes as well as the season for tax scammers.  We are posting this information in an effort to keep people from falling victim to fraudulently operating criminals.

For the past several years, scammers have targeted tax payers throughout the country, with specific emphasis on immigrants. The scammers frequently ‘spoof’ phone numbers from local law enforcement agencies to make it appear as though the taxpayers are receiving phone calls from real police agencies. Additionally, scammers have represented themselves by using names of people that are actually employed by local law enforcement agencies in order to add credibility to their calls. The scammers inform the taxpayer that they have an overdue tax payment that must be paid immediately through a pre-paid debit card payment or wire transfer. Most times, the scammers become verbally aggressive and threaten to arrest and/or deport the tax payer if they refuse to cooperate. In similar scams, the scammers will offer the tax payer a refund as long as the tax payer provides authenticating personal information.

Here are some tips to avoid becoming a victim of this scam:

1) The Bothell Police Department and/or other local law enforcement agencies WILL NEVER call you in an attempt to collect unpaid taxes or assist with tax refunds.

2) Don’t rely solely on the name and number displayed by a caller ID to confirm the validity of a caller. Caller ID information IS NOT reliable in of itself.

Also, the IRS will never:

1) Calll to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill;

2) Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe;

3) Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card;

4) Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone;

5) Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

The IRS encourages anyone who has received suspicious tax related phone calls or emails to report the incidents to the Internal Revenue Service Lead Development Center:

http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Tax-Scams-How-to-Report-Them

For more information about this scam and other IRS related scams, please visit the IRS Consumer Alert page at:

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Tax-Scams-Consumer-Alerts