TULSA, Okla. — Tax season is upon us, and before you start filing, we are here to advocate for you and provide a few things you need to know.
2 News Oklahoma has tips to avoid tax scams and filing this year.
The IRS received almost 300,000 complaints of reported identity theft last year making it the second most in history.
But there are ways to protect yourself from becoming a victim.
According to AP News, most scammers will use, fear, urgency, and money as tactics.
Scammers will use language that makes it seem like there is a problem and you have to solve it very quickly.
Scammers will tell you that you are receiving a larger refund than you expected if you pay for their services or share your personal information.
Charlie Moore of Arua says another way to know is based on the website link they send you,
“You’ll see links to websites that aren’t accurate like instead of irs.gov, it's Irs.gov.com. Those types of things should be red flags,” Moore said.
The IRS said they would contact you through the postal service, but you can also call or email.
They also said if you receive an email with a misspelling take that as a warning.
The IRS is expecting more than 140 million people to file their taxes before the April 15 deadline.
If you are looking for a tax professional, there are a few things they can help you when filing.
- They can help people who own a business
- Have multiple sources of income,
- Had mistakes on previous tax returns
- Itemize their taxes
Many can file through TurboTax for very simple filings like W-2.
Starting this year, the IRS is providing free filings through them if you make less than $84,000.
“That is only for very simple tax returns and does not include state tax filing at this time,” Ryan Polk, a Clemson University Assistant Professor of Accounting, explained.
If you are looking for a tax professional make sure they are legit. Scammers can also act like tax professionals through discounted deals and you could receive more money than others.
The IRS has a directory of tax professionals and AARP has a tax-aid locator.
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