Read or Scam

A tax preparer in Miami received a notice from the IRS regarding one of his clients.  According to the notice, the IRS could not direct deposit a refund because the financial institution said the bank account number was invalid, or the bank account could not be otherwise validated.  The notice asked for a new or updated bank account number. 

That sounded very fishy to the tax preparer, especially when several other clients reported getting the same letter.  In all his years of practice, this tax preparer had never seen a notice like this.  He told his clients to do nothing until he investigated further.

As it turned out, this one really was from the IRS.

The notice suggested updating direct deposit information by visiting IRS.gov/Account, which is a legitimate IRS web address.  According to an IRS spokesman, any notice or letter from the IRS will be available on the taxpayer’s online account.

To learn more about tax scams and frauds, the IRS has prepared a list of warning signs to watch for at www.irs.gov/help/tax-scams/recognize-tax-scams-and-fraud.  Promises of a big payday, threats demanding immediate payment, and website links that don’t go to IRS.gov are all tipoffs.

When it comes to taxes and finances, one cannot be too careful.