Comptroller warns consumers about tax scams

SPRINGFIELD – Tax season can be fraught with paperwork, deadlines and sometimes con artists. So it’s important to be cautious.

“Just like throughout the year, you should take precautions to safeguard your personal information when it comes to tax documents,” Comptroller Susana Mendoza said in a news release. “Scammers often use scare tactics to try to get taxpayers to hand over private information and money.”

Several scams aim to look like official communication from the Internal Revenue Service. They include:

• Receiving a cardboard envelope in the mail with a note on IRS letterhead stating “about your unclaimed refund.” The letter likely will include contact information and a phone number that does not belong to the IRS and request you provide sketchy “filing” information such as a photo of your driver’s license, Social Security number and other personal information. The IRS said the letter may be poorly worded and include different fonts.

• IRS telephone scams in which impersonators commonly target recent immigrants and those with limited English proficiency. The con artist will call and threaten arrest or deportation if payment is not made in the form of a gift card or wire transfer. If you owe money, the IRS will mail you a bill.

• False claims for unemployment compensation. The IRS urges taxpayers to be on the lookout for criminals seeking to steal their identities to file fraudulent claims for unemployment compensation. Since unemployment benefits are a taxable form of income, the state will send constituents a 1099-G form, also known as Certain Government Payments form, if an unemployment claim has been made under your name. If you did not apply for unemployment or received the compensation, visit the Illinois Department of Employment Services to report the fraud.

• Phishing and Malware Scams. Con artists will use the IRS logo and send email or text messages to taxpayers asking for personal and financial information. Some messages will send you to a link that contains a malware virus that will enable scammers to access your information. One specific scam targets college students and faculty with .edu email addresses, asking them to fill out a form with all of their personal information. Unsolicited emails from IRS impersonators should be reported to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.

• Avoid “Ghost” tax return preparers. That is a tax return preparer who does not sign the tax return that they have prepared. By not signing the tax return, the preparer may overpromise a large refund, charge you based on the size of the refund and/or send funds to their own bank accounts instead of the taxpayer.

Social Security compromise

If the IRS contacts you stating that your Social Security number has been compromised, the following steps are recommended:

• File a report with the Illinois Attorney General.

• Request Fraud Alert protection from one of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, www.Equifax.com, 800-525-6285; Experian, www.Experian.com, 888-397-3742; TransUnion, www.TransUnion.com, 800-680-729.

• Contact your financial institution and close any accounts that were opened without your consent.

“Remember, neither the state nor the federal government will call taxpayers, threatening them and demanding payment via a wire transfer or credit or debit card,” Mendoza said. “That’s a sure sign of a scam.”

Find My Refund

Once you file your state taxes, you can visit the Find My Refund feature on the comptroller’s website to check the status of your refund if applicable. The office will check their records to determine if the Illinois Department of Revenue has sent your information to its office. The comptroller’s office cannot issue a refund until it receives a voucher from IDOR. The office mails out state income tax refunds within 24 to 48 hours of receiving the voucher from IDOR.

Any tax-related questions can be directed to the Illinois Department of Revenue.

This year’s deadline to file income taxes is April 15.