COLORADO SPRINGS — Tuesday is the deadline to file your taxes, and the IRS is warning last-minute filers to be aware of tax scams.
The IRS says scams surrounding tax season happen every year. A growing concern from the agency this year is incorrect information on social media, misleading taxpayers to take bad tax advice. Two examples are the self-employment tax credit, which the IRS says doesn’t exist and fraudsters encouraging taxpayers to overstate their withholdings.
MORE|12 Common tax scams the IRS warns taxpayers about
“The IRS does not contact taxpayers or take payments on social media,” said IRS Spokesperson Jeanne Rohrer. “The agency does not threaten and leave pre-recorded voicemails. If you have questions, you think it’s a red flag, act on it and contact us and we’ll let you know.”
There is help for those who fall victim to a tax scam.
“If they unwillingly got caught up in a scam and erroneously filed a tax return, they can amend that tax return," she said. "They can go back in and amend it once they find out that they were a victim to a scam or they found out [they] made a mistake."
Some common mistakes people make are the following:
- misspelling names
- entering the wrong social security number
- filing under the wrong status
- math errors
Many mistakes can be avoided by filing electronically and choosing the direct deposit option for reimbursement of a refund, according to Rohrer.
MORE|Click here to access the IRS's free tools to help you file your taxes.
"From refund status, tax preparation help, answers to tax law questions, tax law research and more, IRS.gov has everything needed for individual and business taxpayers to file on time or get an easy, automatic six-month extension to file," said Rohrer.
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