IRS FRAUDS AND TAX SEASON

KnightsBridge Castle staff was interviewed a second time last week by NBC television about IRS Tax Frauds. The program will be aired tonight on the Bay Area NBC affiliate channel 11.

We offer here on our blog the critical issues discussed during the interview.

IRS TAX FRAUDS


Identity Theft Frauds which result in IRS Tax fraud are the most common type of Identity Theft – not credit card fraud

33% of Identity Theft involves hijacking a Social Security Number (SSN) for purposes of reporting illegal income, fore example:

Employment fraud, and false employment
Money laundering transactions, DMV fraud, Medical Benefits Fraud


The financial exposure of IRS Tax frauds are real – there is no policy of forbearance or quick resolution to these frauds – they are painful and expensive to unwind,

Two Common IRS Frauds

9095 Tax Form
You receive an official looking IRS 9095 tax form with an urgent message to complete the form and FAX is to a special IRS number. Failure to comply will result in your bank account being frozen. The form asks for your full personal information including banking information – such as bank routing numbers. The form is fake, and the special telephone number is a direct line to organized criminals.

IRS Email – Tax Refund
You receive an official looking email from the IRS informing you that you are eligible for a significant refund. The amount is often about $500 and the only requirement is that your reply to the IRS email with your personal information and your banking information – such as bank routing numbers.

Objective of these frauds

To obtain your personal information and your banking information and to then loot your bank account through wire transfer or other money transfer methods.

If you supply this information and do not exercise due caution and care in protecting your personal information, your bank has no obligation under law or in common practice to reimburse you for your loss. You have been robbed and you are unavailable to receive restitution from the bank, because you freely gave personal information without exercising care.

How to Spot an IRS Fraud

The government and business will never ask for information they already have. Confirmation gambits are always fraudulent.

Confirmation gambit – where someone poses as a business or government official and seeks your personal information (Such as SSN and banking information) to confirm your identity and to maintain their records.

Confirmation information is asked for in an email, by fax, or on the telephone.

You are offered a windfall from a business or government by email, telephone, or fax.


Tax Time Advice to Consumers

File your taxes electronically – reduce the potential for your paper forms and documentation to be lost or stolen by criminals

If you do file paper forms, hand them to a uniformed postal employee who is behind the counter at a post office

NEVER place them in street corner post boxes, of outgoing mail drops in
Businesses.

NEVER hand them to someone standing in front of the post office at the filing deadline who looks like a postal official. Always go inside the post office.

Once a year, use a commercial service to ensure that your SSN has not been hijacked by someone for use in committing fraud. The cost can be as little as $10 to detect the use of your SSN by someone else.

Never respond with sensitive personal information (including SSN and banking information) if you are contacted by email, fax, or telephone. If you are concerned, call back the business or the government agency at the number listed in the phone book and ask to talk to a representative about this matter.