Trust Issues

A thing of interest for all those who have to pay taxes - which, is almost everyone - so pay attention!

 Over the past few weeks, alarming and urgent scams have been taking place. Posing as IRS agents, scammers have been frightening taxpayers with news that their taxes were not paid and a warrant is out for their arrest. Elderly people have been specifically targeted, but the scammers are not planning on missing anyone they can dupe. A CPA, David Menard, of New Hampshire was contacted by them earlier in the week. "If they had any idea how the IRS worked, they would never have called me." he stated.

 However, most people do not have the benefit of knowing taxes and tax laws that well. They may question the idea, and get pulled in through the urgency. One such man, "...was told go to a local Walmart and wire nearly $2,000 via MoneyGram. The man was apparently so distraught that on his way to Walmart he crashed his car. Then he left the scene of the accident to send the payment because he was so afraid of the scammer’s threats of legal action, the senator’s office said." (The Washington Post, Rodney Brooks)

 The IRS likewise, reminds people through many news outlets to be on guard. The IRS does not operate like that. If you need to send them money, they don't tell you to transfer it through a Walmart ATM. A few suspects of this scam were arrested in late May, however, the IRS warned that this is a bigger operation than just a couple people. We must still be on guard. Yet, we can also have confidence that the IRS is not taking their stolen identity lightly.

Sources:
 USA Today; http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2016/05/24/five-arrested-irs-impersonation-scam/84874934/

The Washington Post; https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/get-there/wp/2016/05/30/irs-impersonation-scam-targeting-seniors-still-strong-but-finally-some-arrests/

The Christian Science Monitor; http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2016/0525/Five-arrested-in-36.5-million-IRS-impersonation-scam

CNN Money; http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/25/news/irs-impersonators-scam/

Nebraska City News Press; http://www.ncnewspress.com/article/20160531/NEWS/160539989