Tax Season is fraud season. It’s prime time for fraudsters and scammers looking to steal your personal and financial data.
Scammers are using confusion about Obamacare to rob people of their hard earned cash. The scam involves sending a false CP2000 or deficiency notice to unsuspecting marks and demanding payment for unpaid taxes. People only receive CP2000 notices from the IRS when they fail to report any income, payments or credits or if they overstate certain deductions on an income tax return. Real CP2000 notices are never bills.
Tip: If a taxpayer receives this notice, they should not respond. Red flags are that the notice will demand payment and will instruct you to make the payment to the IRS and send to a fake processing center in Austin, Texas. All official tax payments to the IRS are made to the United States Treasury.
Take advantage of Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week to learn how to avoid scams and protect your identity.