IRS Released List of Offensive Scams & Tax Schemes

The IRS (Internal Revenue Service) released a list of 12 most offensive scams and tax schemes for 2008, highlighted by online phishing and various tax arguments.

Conventionally, phishing is a prudent tactic employed by phishers to dupe people and to extract their personal information. phishing scams are generally conducted by sending fake e-mails, which seem to be legitimate and coming from some authentic source like the IRS.

According to the statistics released by the IRS for 2008, taxpayer sent more than 33,000 scam e-mails which brought around 1,500 different phishing scams into light, as reported by FOXBUSINESS on March 14, 2008.

IRS Commissioner, Linda Stiff, said that taxpayers should be cautious against such scams which lure with attractive offers and promises that are completely false. No one can free taxpayer from his tax paying obligations and therefore, people should be wary of those who are running such kinds of scams, as reported by ASSOCIATED PRESS on March 13, 2008.

Moreover, Stiff, during the subcommittee hearing, talked about methodology of scams and said that they give high priority to identity theft.

Moreover, National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson, who was also present at the subcommittee hearing, praised the IRS for its proactive measures to provide adequate assistance to identity theft victims, including deployment of tracking system to find out theft victim accounts. Olson, who works independently for the IRS, said that there are still areas for improvement, like the agency should follow coordinated approach, honor each and every account, and avoid worsening the victims' injuries, as reported by ASSOCIATED PRESS on March 13, 2008.

Olson highlighted that many senior taxpayers, who came to file tax returns this year to take the stimulus check for not filing of tax many years, found that their Social Security numbers have been used by others.

Olson also said that the IRS lacks a system that addresses the problems of identity theft victims of filing requirements.

However, the IRS urged taxpayers to be cautious and vigilant against scams because the agency does not contact people through e-mails or phone regarding checks.

Related article: IRS Cautions Taxpayers of Recent Email Scam

» SPAMfighter News - 3/22/2008