LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Internal Revenue Service issued three new scam alerts this week, including one that impacts nearly every taxpayer.
First. the IRS is warning people about a new scam about buying clean energy tax credits. The IRS says "unscrupulous" tax return preparers are "misrepresenting" the rules for the clean energy tax credit which is part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
According to the IRS, there are transferability provisions of the IRA allowing the purchase of "eligible federal income tax credits from investments in clean energy to offset a buyer’s tax liability," the IRS stated.
“This is another example where scammers are trying to use the complexity of the tax law to entice people into claiming credits they’re not entitled to,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. Taxpayers should be wary of promoters pushing dubious credits like this and others. The IRS is watching out for this scam, and we urge people to use a reputable tax professional before claiming complex credits like clean energy.”
Second, the IRS is warning about a scam targeting car dealers and sellers by using phishing and smishing.
This comes after recent news of ransomware attacks aimed at car dealers. Thieves attempt to trick victims into clicking a dubious link and filling out personal and financial information.
Scammers often impersonate the IRS.
The IRS says phishing scams use "an email sent by fraudsters claiming to come from a legitimate source. The email lures the victims into the scam with a variety of ruses such as enticing victims to provide sensitive information."
Smishing is when "a text or smartphone SMS message where scammers often use alarming language such as, 'Your account has now been put on hold,' or 'Unusual Activity Report,' with a bogus 'Solutions' link to restore the recipient's account."
What to do
- Never respond to phishing or smishing or click on the URL link.
- Don't open any attachments. They can contain malicious code that may infect the computer or mobile phone.
- Don't click on any links. If a taxpayer inadvertently clicks on links in a suspicious email or website and enters confidential information, visit the IRS’ identity protection page.
- Send the full email headers or forward the email as-is to phishing@irs.gov. Don't forward screenshots or scanned images of emails because this removes valuable information.
- Delete the original email.
The third scam alert is for tax professionals, who the IRS says should be alert for "new and evolving" schemes.
There are several ways the IRS says people are trying to steal personal information. That includes impersonating new clients, using phishing emails to get personal information, and "elaborate" scams involving texting and calling.
“As the Security Summit partners have continued to improve our defenses against identity theft, thieves have upped their game by targeting tax professionals to get valuable information needed to file authentic-looking tax returns,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said. “Tax professionals need to watch out for deviously clever scams that can masquerade as new clients as well as communications from the IRS or others in the tax community. We continue to see tax professionals bombarded by these scams, and people shouldn’t let their defenses down.”
