Tax season has commenced, and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is cautioning consumers against falling prey to tax scams. "We want to make sure that when you file your taxes, you do so safely and correctly," stated General Murrill.
This year, the federal Tax Day is set for Monday, April 15th. The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division has highlighted several common scams for taxpayers to be aware of:
One prevalent scam involves fraudsters posing as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to extract personal or financial information from individuals. It is important to note that the IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers through email, text messages, or social media.
Another tactic used by scammers involves impersonating legitimate tax preparers. In this scenario, a person or company claims to be a professional tax filer and requests a substantial fee but fails to deliver the promised services. To avoid this scam, it is advisable to use well-known tax preparation companies or those recommended by trusted sources. The IRS provides a Federal Tax Return Preparer directory for finding legitimate tax preparers in your area. Certain taxpayers can also file their taxes for free using IRS DirectFile; more information is available on their website.
Additionally, there are tax debt relief scams where scammers claim they can assist taxpayers in settling their tax debt at a reduced cost. Victims often pay large upfront fees only for the company to pocket the money without fulfilling its promise of negotiating with the IRS.
Suspected tax schemes should be reported to the IRS via email at phishing@irs.gov or by calling 1-800-908-4490.
Louisiana residents can also submit consumer dispute forms through the Attorney General's office at www.aglizmurrill.com. State income taxes in Louisiana are due on May 15th.