Pass the turkey, and have you heard about the latest IRS scam?

By Maureen Renzi, PICPA Vice President of Communications

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Thanksgiving is the first of many family gatherings that will occur over the next several weeks. The best tables are filled with multigenerational participants, from young children up to grandparents, and in some lucky instances, great-grandparents. Politics and sex are off the table at most of these gatherings. That leaves football and family updates. Consider adding fraud to the list.

For the last several months, people have been getting phone calls from individuals who claim they are from the IRS, threatening arrest for past-due taxes. My 89-year-old mother-in-law received just such a call recently. They can be clever and “game” the caller ID to make it appear that the call is being generated from the IRS. Some are sophisticated enough to have a follow-up phone call that appears to be coming from the local police department, or they send a bogus follow-up e-mail.

Here are five safety tips to share around your holiday table this year:

1. The IRS always sends taxpayers a written notice of any tax due via U.S. mail.
2. The IRS never calls and asks for credit card, debit card, or prepaid card information over the phone.
3. Never give out your personal information, even if it appears that the phone scammer knows your bank name or a portion of your account information or Social Security number.
4. Never follow up with the phone number, e-mail, or website provided on the phone. In the instance of the IRS phone call, contact your tax return preparer or the IRS at www.irs.gov or call (800) 829-1040.
5. Don’t let badges, fake ID numbers, and bullying intimidate you. Hang up the phone and go to reliable resources.

CPAs have been fielding these calls from several of their clients. As the old saying goes, the best defense is a good offense. CPAs should remind their clients to be diligent all year round. The five tips above can be easily shared as a quick blurb in a client newsletter or a one-page warning sheet included with tax planners.

If you pay to have your tax returns completed, be sure to contact your tax preparer whenever you get contacted by the IRS. If you are uncertain about what to do, and don’t work with a professional, the PICPA has many articles and an Ask a CPA service for consumers.

As for my mother-in-law, we reminded her that her response to any such calls is, “Mail me something and my son will take care of it.” We all should do the same, and make sure the only turkeys in our lives this season are stuffed and in the center of the table, not on the other end of a phone call trying to rob us.