Call (310) 245-0332 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

Call (310) 245-0332 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

5 Common Scams that Target Seniors During Tax Season

Posted by Janice Wood, February 20, 2019

We often reach out to offer advice on taking care of your health, but financial wellness is important too. Since tax season is now upon us, we wanted to remind you that this is also the season of rampant tax-related scams. Watch out for these common tricks, to protect your tax status and bank account.

Suspicious phone calls. Here is an important rule to remember: The IRS will never call you regarding an audit or problem with your tax return. If you receive one of these calls, hang up the phone no matter what the person says. They are only trying to scare you into making a “payment” over the phone.

You can always contact the IRS directly, or check with your tax professional if you’re worried about your tax return.

Phony emails. The IRS also will not contact you via email. Unfortunately, con artists can create fake emails that appear quite convincing. But don’t let them trick you into giving them information. Delete the email immediately, and don’t click any links within in.

Fake tax professionals. If you hire a professional to help you with your taxes, remember to choose a reputable company. Some of these temporary tax preparation companies are frauds, and they disappear after tax season – along with your personal information, and sometimes, your refund.

Bogus charities. Yes, you can earn a tax deduction for charitable donations, but only if you give to a charity that is qualified by the IRS. Check the IRS website to search for any organization to whom you’re considering giving money. Some fake charities do exist, and they look very much like legitimate groups. Also, remember that any money you donate now can only be claimed on your 2019 tax return, when you file next spring.

What if you file your return, anticipating a refund, only to receive a notice from the IRS that you have already filed? This could mean that someone else stole your information, filed a return in your name, and fraudulently claimed your refund. Call the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 800-908-4490 to report the problem.

When it comes to your personal information, you can’t be too careful. Only share your Social Security number and other important data with a reputable tax professional, or use highly-rated tax filing software to do your taxes. If you’re unsure of how to proceed, ask a financial planner for a referral.

Need more information?

Contact us online to learn more

Contact Us

Close Accessibility Tools
Accessibility Controls Reset
Content Adjustments
Font Size

Default

Line Height

Default

Content Scaling

Default

Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Highlight Forms
Align Left
Align Center
Align Right
Focus Mode
Color Adjustments
Desaturate
Monochrome
Contrast

Default

Saturation

Default

Accessibility Statement

Despite our attempts to make this website accessible for everyone, there may still be some pages or sections that are not completely accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or do not have a suitable technological solution to make them accessible. Nevertheless, we are always striving to enhance our accessibility by adding, updating, improving its options and features, and incorporating new technologies.

We want to provide our users with the best experience possible, so we strive to support as many browsers and assistive technologies as possible.

If you wish to contact this website's owner, please use the contact form on the website.

Our User Interface Adjustment Options

Font adjustments - With this tool, users can modify font size, style, letter spacing, and line height for improved alignment and readability.

Color adjustments - Users can customize their color contrast profiles to light, dark, desaturated, and monochrome.

Content highlighting - Users can prioritize key elements such as links, forms, and titles.

Content focus - Users can enable focus mode to highlight the current page information based on their mouse movement.

Close