Don’t BeA (NAPSA)—If you geta call from the “IRS” threatening you with lawsuits or im Of Tax Fraud rat jail unless you pay up immediately, don't worry.It's a scam. IRSimpersonation andtax scamsby phone, e-mail, snail mail and text are ongoing.Criminals useincreasingly cre- ative ploysto trick taxpayers but you can protect yourself and your money. What To Watch For First, you should know that the IRS doesn't initiate contact with taxpayers bye-mail, text message orsocial media channelsto request personalorfinancial information. This includes requests for PIN numbers, passwordsor similar ac- cess information for credit cards, banks orotherfinancial accounts. Hereare five more things the scammers often do but the IRS will not do. Anyoneofthesefive thingsis a telltale sign ofa scam. ‘The IRSwill never: + Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owedwithoutfirst having mailed you abill + Demandthat you pay taxes without giving youthe opportunity to question or appealthe amountit says you owe + Require youto use a specific payment method for yourtaxes, such as a pre- paid debit card + Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone Threaten to bring in police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying. Where To Get Help Ifyou get a phonecall from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, report it to the Federal Trade Commission at www.FTC.gov. You'll be lot less likely to worry that in fact there was an error on your tax returnif you gethelp from a licensed professional tax preparer. Forexample,enrolled agents (EAs) are America’stax experts. They are the onlyfederallylicensedtaxpractitioners who bothspecialize in taxation and have unlimited rights to represent taxpayersbefore the Internal RevenueService. These tax specialists have earned the privilege of representing taxpayers before the IRS byeither passing a stringent and comprehensive three-part examination covering individual tax returns, business tax returns, and representation, practice and procedure— or through relevant experience as a former IRS employee. All candidates are subjected to a rigorous background check conducted by the IRS. Find An Enrolled Agent To locate an EA nearby, go to the “Find a Tax Expert” directory at www. eatax.org.
