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The Department of Revenue issued a reminder to taxpayers to be cautious of scams and \u201cphishing\u201d schemes that are being used by criminals to steal taxpayers\u2019 money and personal financial information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese scams are especially common at this time of year when people start to file their personal income tax returns,\u201d Revenue Secretary Dan Hassell said. \u201cCriminals use high-pressure tactics and threats to pressure hard-working Pennsylvanians into providing money or sensitive information. We want the public to be aware of these scams to avoid taking action that they\u2019ll regret.\u201d The Department of Revenue issued a reminder to taxpayers to be cautious of scams and \u201cphishing\u201d schemes that are being used by criminals to steal taxpayers\u2019 money and personal financial information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":910,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.mlfcu.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.mlfcu.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.mlfcu.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.mlfcu.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.mlfcu.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1444"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/beta.mlfcu.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1444\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.mlfcu.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.mlfcu.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.mlfcu.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.mlfcu.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Common Scam: Criminals posing as a government agency<\/em>
One prevalent scam involves phony \u201cFinal Demand For Payment\u201d notices that have been mailed to many taxpayers. The notices from the \u201cTax Processing Center\u201d threaten the seizure of a taxpayer\u2019s property if the recipient of the notice fails to make immediate payment to the \u201cState of Pennsylvania.\u201d The notices also provide an 800-number to call to \u201cavoid enforcement.\u201d
This is a classic scam that uses pressure tactics and fear to motivate the recipient into taking immediate action. Criminals may also access public records so they can include taxpayer-specific information on the notices to make them appear legitimate.
Email, \u2018phishing,\u2019 and malware scams<\/em>
Pennsylvanians should beware of criminals using \u201cphishing\u201d schemes, which involve the use of fraudulent email messages, deceptive software, or malicious files that are designed to steal sensitive information, such as passwords, usernames, or personal financial information. Scammers often use this information to steal your money, your identity, or both.
In addition to individual taxpayers, the IRS reports that these schemes have targeted tax professionals, payroll professionals, human resources personnel, and school administrators.
In one common scam publicized by the IRS, criminals pose as a person or organization the taxpayer trusts or recognizes. They may hack an email account and send mass emails under another person\u2019s name, or they may pose as a bank, credit card company, or tax software provider.
Criminals also go to great lengths to create websites that appear legitimate but contain phony log-in pages. These criminals hope victims will \u201ctake the bait\u201d and provide money, passwords, Social Security numbers, and other information that can lead to identity theft.
Tips to avoid scams<\/em>
The Department of Revenue is encouraging Pennsylvanians to keep the following tips in mind to safeguard against these deceptive scams:
\u2022 Look for imposters:<\/strong> Many times, criminals will pose as a government entity or an official business. If you are targeted by a con artist through the mail, phone, or email, do not provide personal information or money until you are sure you are speaking to a legitimate representative.
\u2022 Examine notifications and electronic messages: <\/strong>Criminals often design vague communications to cast a wide net to lure in as many victims as possible. Examine questionable notices for identifying information that can be verified. Look for blatant factual errors and other inconsistencies, such as a fake return address. If the notice is unexpected and states \u201cThis Is Your Final Notice,\u201d take a moment and verify its legitimacy. The Department of Revenue will send multiple letters to taxpayers if there is a legitimate liability owed.
\u2022 Approach unusual attachments and links with caution:<\/strong> Scammers may include a link or an attachment to an email that is infected with malware that can download malicious software. Spyware can track the recipient\u2019s keystrokes to obtain passwords, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, or other sensitive information.
\u2022 Unusual payment methods:<\/strong> Avoid scenarios where you are asked to pay your debt with reloadable debit cards, gift cards, or money wiring services. The Department of Revenue and other government agencies will never ask you to pay an outstanding liability using these payment methods.
\u2022 Conduct research online:<\/strong> Using information included in a potentially fraudulent notice, such as company name, address, or telephone number, conduct a search online to see if a scam has been reported by other people or government agencies.
Steps to follow if you are a victim of a scam<\/em>
The Department of Revenue reminds taxpayers that it has a Fraud Detection and Analysis Unit dedicated to assisting victims of identity theft and combating tax refund fraud.
If you are a victim of identity theft or discover a fraudulent Pennsylvania personal income tax return was filed using your identity, please contact the Fraud Detection and Analysis Unit<\/a> at 717-772-9297.
For more information on ways to protect yourself, visit Revenue’s Identity Theft Victim Assistance<\/a> webpage. You can also find further information about protecting yourself online<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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