The IRS issued warning just recently that yet another tax scam is running rampant through the country as of late, involving a bogus student tax. IRS impersonators are now preying on students, calling them seeking payment for “the Federal Student Tax”. If you are in receipt of such a call, there are a few things you should immediately do.

More about “the federal student tax”

Scammers capitalizing on “the federal student tax” tactic attempt to trick students into wiring money directly to them to satisfy the student’s “federal student tax” debt. If the student refuses to pay, the criminal threatens to report the student to the police.

Important precautions

Our recent piece, “Be On the Lookout For IRS Scam Phone Calls” provides guidance on what tactics fraudsters will generally use over the phone, but it is important to remember to always:

• Stay on guard whenever someone calls inquiring about a tax bill.
• Report a call involving any threats of arrest, deportation or driver’s license revocation.
• Be immediately skeptical of any call from the IRS demanding payment

Any other new scams?

The IRS warns that there are some other emerging tactics among tax criminals including:

• “IRS” agents demanding immediate payment for taxes owed on iTunes giftcards
• Requests for W-2 information from payroll departments
• Requests for “tax return information verification”
• Emails from “tax preparers”

An important reminder

As we have mentioned before—

• The REAL IRS will NEVER solicit payments through the phone.
• You will receive a bill in the mail before you receive any phone calls.

If you receive a suspicious call—DO NOT GIVE OUT ANY INFORMATION AND HANG UP IMMEDIATELY!

Important Contact Information

• Contact TIGTA to report the call. Use their IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting web page or call 800-366-4484.
• Report it to the Federal Trade Commission by visiting FTC.gov and clicking on “File a Consumer Complaint.” Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.
• If you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040.

Contact any member of our Tax Services Team for further guidance.