As Tax Day approaches, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has launched the 2024 Tax Season Scam Series to help Floridians fall victim to fraudulent schemes.
According to Internal Revenue Service data for 2022, consumers lost $5.7 billion due to tax scams and fraud.
As part of the series this tax season, Moody will provide cautions regarding pre-filing scams, tax debt relief scams, and direct deposit refund scams.
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“Tax season is upon us, and as Floridians prepare their taxes ahead of the April 15th deadline, I am launching the 2024 Tax Season Scam Series. Scammers may look to exploit the stress many may feel when preparing their taxes to steal personal and financial information. It is crucial to stay on guard against potential schemes—so I am releasing this series to help Floridians avoid falling prey to fraudsters,” said Moody.
Filing early is one of the best methods to avoid getting caught up in a scam during tax season, preventing criminals from collecting your refunds. The IRS found more than $800 million in false tax refunds between 2021 and 2022, with pre-filing schemes accounting for the majority of these cases.
In pre-filing tax schemes, scammers target taxpayers by first obtaining their name and Social Security number. Schemers then file returns in the target’s name to receive refunds. When taxpayers wait to submit taxes, scammers have more opportunity to exploit potential victims.
During the 2024 Tax Season Scam Series, Attorney General Moody will highlight the following schemes:
- Tax Debt Relief Scams: Scammers may claim to be a representative of a company offering to settle tax obligations for pennies on the dollar. The schemers request upfront payments, and then disappear.
- Direct Deposit Refund Scams: Scammers may call, text or email potential victims posing as IRS agents claiming a mistake was made with the person’s tax return. The fraudsters then demand that the victim must refund the money immediately, usually in the form of a wire transfer or gift cards.
Report tax scams or other fraud to the Federal Trade Commission ReportFraud.FTC.gov.
The IRS has online tools to help track tax refunds. You can use the ‘Where’s My Refund?’ webtool or download the IRS2Go mobile app to check the status of a refund.
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