MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) – As the end of tax season approaches, officials with the IRS and the Myrtle Beach Police Department say you should be on the lookout for scammers who want to take your money.
Officers say a new scam pops up almost weekly, but around this time of the year, the ones involving your tax return are the most common.
Crime Prevention Officer Henry Bresadola says the best way to avoid having your information stolen is to file your taxes as soon as possible and not wait until the very last minute. He says that prevents someone from stealing your social security number and filing before you have a chance to do so.
Officer Bresadola adds scammers will try to contact you in many different ways like over the phone or via email but there is one thing they all have in common.
“They want you to go to the store and get a prepaid debit card in order to pay these fines off. At no time will any legitimate agency require you to get a prepaid debit card to pay something off, “Bresadola said.
“So anytime that happens and someone asks you to get a prepaid debit card that should definitely be a red flag.”
Another red flag to lookout for are any emails claiming to be from the IRS. Kathy Graham with the Coastal Carolina Chapter of the Better Business Bureau says in many cases, these emails direct you to “update your IRS e-file immediately.”
The emails may mention USA.gov and IRSgov (without the dot between ‘IRS’ and ‘gov’). The most important thing to know is the IRS does not initiate taxpayer communications through email. Taxpayers who get these messages should not respond, open attachments or click on the links as you may compromise your computer with malware or open yourself up to identity or other theft issues. Instead, forward the fake emails to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.
Bresadola adds because of that it’s not always easy to find these scammers.
“It’s very hard to track them down. A lot of them are actually from out of the country or out of the state so it’s really hard for us to track them down. So, that’s why prevention is key, to make the public aware to not fall for these kinds of scams.”
The deadline to file this year’s tax return is April 15th.