How to avoid IRS scams ahead of tax season

Calls, voicemails, emails and even letters. Some people in the Coachella Valley are getting nonstop calls saying they are from the IRS.

While some people may hang up or throw letters away, others have been unlucky enough to fall victim.

One priest in the Coachella Valley is sending a message to keep people suffering the same fate.

“We have hundreds, that’s not an exaggeration, that have been scammed or people who have tried to scam [them],” said Fr. Howard Lincoln of Sacred Heart Church.

Calls with a message saying a person owes back taxes or has committed tax fraud made an impact on one family.

“His instinct was to just pay the money so that nothing bad would happen. He almost did it, he almost gave them the information,” Sharon Cisneros said about her brother-in-law.

One tax preparer says those calls are not only fake but common. During tax season the scams mostly target the elderly. Howard says he gives a reminder after his sermons to prevent people for falling for the trick.

“The element of fright, of being scared. This is a call way out of the ordinary and it can really trap people,” Lincoln said.

Luis Perez, a tax preparer with L and L Perfect Balance says scammers are not only targeting tax payers. This year, they are also trying to trick tax experts.

“They’re very good. It looks like an account with IRS information,” Perez said.

Perez says scammers are trying to get login information for tax software tax preparers use. He says its not easy to scam a watchdog because all communication they receive from the IRS comes through the software not in an email.

It can get tricky for some of his clients. They told him they get bombarded with fake calls and emails. He says he tells them to ignore it because the IRS only works through one method, snail mail. Perez says it’s important to have letters verified because scammers take to people’s mailbox too.

“What happens if they get this letter, what should they do? Well, the first thing is to call their tax preparer if they have one. Otherwise, just call the IRS,” Perez said.

Perez says the next time you get a call asking for money, send it to voicemail or hang up. Most importantly, never give any personal information over the phone.

Officials say if anyone receives an email asking for personal information with links, it’s important not to click anything inside. It may have a virus or software that can infect your computer to gather your information. The IRS asks people to forward the email to them at phishing@irs.gov, and then delete it.

What to look out for:

With tax season approaching, it’s important to be wary of all of those scam artists out there trying to take advantage of you.

According to IRS officials, thousands of people have lost millions of dollars and their personal information to tax scams and fake IRS communication in recent years.

Remember:

The IRS doesn’t initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media to request personal or financial information IRS does NOT threaten taxpayers with lawsuits, imprisonment or other enforcement action IRS does NOT ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone Remember, scammers change tactics — aggressive and threatening phone calls by criminals impersonating IRS agents remain a major threat to taxpayers, but variations of the IRS impersonation scam continue year-round and they tend to peak when scammers find prime opportunities to strike — just like tax season

You can find a full list of IRS scams and warnings to be sure your personal information and finances stay safe as you file your taxes.