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Tax Season Cautions — tax forms and refunds are coming in the mail!
- Pick up your mail promptly. Cluster mail boxes are not secure!!
- Mail your tax return in a secure location such as the Post Office, Raleys or UPS. Get a receipt. Cluster mail boxes are not secure!!
- IRS is NOT going to call you or email you. They correspond by USPS mail.
Click here for flyer about secure mail locations, pick-up times and who to call about a mail station break-in.
Telltale signs of a scam
The IRS (and its authorized private collection agencies) will NEVER:
- Call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. The IRS does not use these methods for tax payments. Generally, the IRS will first mail a bill to any taxpayer who owes taxes. All tax payments should only be made payable to the U.S. Treasury and checks should never be made payable to third parties.
- Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have the taxpayer arrested for not paying.
- Demand that taxes be paid without giving the taxpayer the opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed.
- Ask for gift cards, credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
If you receive a scammer’s phone call:
- Do not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
- Contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to report the call. Use their IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting web page.
- Report the caller ID and/or callback number to the IRS by sending it to phishing@irs.gov (Subject: IRS Phone Scam).
- Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the FTC Complaint Assistant on FTC.gov. Add “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.
Sign up for nomorobo.com which will screen out automated calls.
Spread the word to your friends and neighbors who do not have email.