Along with the warm summer sun comes an onslaught of tax-related scams. Even though the deadline to file taxes has passed, many people are still turning to tax resolution specialists for help with their taxes. It is important to know when you are being contacted by an actual IRS resolution specialist versus someone trying to scam you.

Allen N. Davey, LLC, Attorney at Law, CPA in Honolulu, HI, points out some of the common scams happening today:

• EFTPS Scam: Con artists will call and require you to pay your taxes immediately, claiming they tried to send you letters but those letters were returned as unable to be delivered. They go so far as to threaten to arrest you for failure to reach a tax resolution and pay your debt if you don’t make the payment via a specific type of prepaid card.
• Robo-Call Messages: The IRS will never leave you a pre-recorded message. These scammers threaten to issue a warrant if you don’t call them back and pay via wire transfer or prepaid card.
• Private Collection Scam: If you have an old tax debt requiring tax resolution, there is a chance it could be sent to a private collection agency. However, you would know about this well in advance, so if something pops up out of the blue, there is a good chance it’s a scam.

Being aware of the scams out there and knowing what steps to take to protect yourself is crucial. To learn more about the various scams out there, visit IRS.gov.