• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

CMR Associates, LLC

  • Home
  • Services
    • Business System Implementation
    • Tax Accounting
    • Business Accounting
    • Louisiana Business Tax Credits
    • Business Consulting
    • Business Valuation
    • Tax Relief and Resolution
    • Virtual Tax CPA
    • Notary Services
  • Industries
    • Doctors
    • Construction
    • Musicians
    • Real Estate
    • Retail
    • Restaurants and Hospitality
  • About Us
    • Charles Renwick, CPA
    • Alan Vera, CPA
    • Alvin Christian Fernando, CPA
  • Contact Us
  • Book Appointment
You are here: Home / Individual Tax Advice / Watch out for tax-related scams

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Covington, Louisiana

Watch out for tax-related scams

Louisiana CPA- Watch out for tax-related scams

Watch out for tax-related scams

“Thousands of people have lost millions of dollars and their personal information to tax scams,” according to the IRS. Criminals can contact victims through regular mail, telephone calls and email messages. Here are just two of the scams the tax agency has seen in recent months.

  1. Fake property liens. A tax bill is sent from a fictional government agency in the mail. The fake agency may have a legitimate sounding name such as the Bureau of Tax Enforcement. The bill is accompanied by a letter threatening an IRS lien or levy based on bogus overdue taxes. (A levy is a legal seizure of property to satisfy a tax debt. A lien is a legal claim against your property to secure payment of your tax debt.)
  2. Phony calls from the IRS. In this scam, criminals impersonating IRS employees call people and tell them that, if they don’t pay back taxes they owe, they will face arrest. The thieves then demand that the taxpayers pay their tax debts with a gift card, other prepaid cards or a wire transfer.

Important reminders

If you receive a text, letter, email or phone call purporting to be from the IRS, keep in mind that the IRS never calls taxpayers demanding immediate payment using a specific method of payment (such as a wire transfer or prepaid debit card). In general, the IRS sends bills or notices to taxpayers and gives them time to respond with questions or appeals. The tax agency also doesn’t threaten taxpayers with arrest.

In addition, the IRS doesn’t initiate contact by email, text message or social media channels to request information. Most contacts are initiated though regular mail delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. The IRS does use authorized private collection agencies to collect some overdue tax bills but these agencies also follow the same rules.

In some special circumstances, the IRS does call taxpayers or come to their homes or businesses. For example, the IRS may tour a business as part of an audit or during a criminal investigation. But even in those cases, taxpayers will generally receive several mailed IRS notices before the visit. And the IRS never demands that payment be made to any source other than the “United States Treasury.”

What to do if you’re contacted

You can contact us if the IRS gets in touch with you. If the contact involves a phone call, hang up immediately. You can forward an email or other tax-related scam to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov. To report an IRS impersonation scam, visit the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at https://bit.ly/1ClYZbP. Be aware that criminals keep evolving their scams in an effort to steal people’s money and personal information. Remain on alert.

Filed Under: Individual Tax Advice

Learn about Civil Law

Louisiana Civil Law Notary Info

Primary Sidebar

About Us

Covington CPA and Tax Accountants Team

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting: We provide tax accounting, payroll, 401(k), business

Book an appointment with Personnel Calendar using SetMore

TAX NEWS AND ADVICE

  • Individual Tax Advice
  • Small Business Tax Advice

Footer

Company Profile

Charles Renwick, CPA has provided clients big and small quality accounting, tax, and business consulting services for over 15 years.  We have all the resources needed to meet your business and personal accounting needs.

Offices in Madisonville, Mandeville, Metairie, and Baton Rouge. Serving clients throughout the country.

Terms and Conditions

Accounting News and Updates

  • Want to Save Taxes? Maximize Deductions and Use the S-Corp Structure
  • IRA account value down? It might be a good time for a Roth conversion
  • Understanding and controlling the unemployment tax costs of your business
  • Watch out for tax-related scams
  • Setting up a Health Savings Account for your small business
  • Use a Coverdell ESA to help pay college, elementary and secondary school costs
  • Selling securities by year end? Avoid the wash sale rule

Book an appointment with Personnel Calendar using SetMore

Write or Call Today

CMR Associates, LLC
Charles Renwick, CPA
207 E Gibson St
Covington, LA 70433

(888) 530-5630
office@cmrtax.com

© 2022 · Web Design by Link+Like· Sitemap·