Are you a college student or the parent of a college student? A new 2021 tax scam targets college students. Unfortunately, many of these students may be filing for the first time and don’t know what they are doing. Tax scammers are hoping for that. We will tell you more below.
What is the College Student Tax Scam?
Anyone with an email ending in “.edu” is at risk for this scam. The fraudsters can easily get a list of student, administrative, and even faculty email. Many of these individuals are set to receive a refund of hundreds to thousands of dollars. The scammers send an official looking email telling them their IRS refund is on the way. They are then sent an realistic looking link called “Where’s My Refund?” or similar. You click on the link and are subject to a ton of phishing.
This dangerous link can do anything from load your device with malware to assisting in stealing your refund. The malware can be fairly annoying. However, the loss of your refund is costly. They can do this by asking you to verify your identity by entering your full name, address, social security number, etc. They then use this information to tell the IRS to redirect your refund check to them. Worse still, they can continue to impersonate you by opening lines of credit.
How to Avoid the College Student Tax Scam
Firstly, remember that the IRS will NEVER email you. If they have official business with you, they always begin with a letter. Do not click on any links in suspicious looking emails, even if they use the IRS logo or other official looking items.
You should also file your taxes as early as possible to not give scamsters the time to file on your behalf, especially if you are owed a refund. Lastly, if you have any questions for the IRS, contact your bookkeeper, accountant, or the IRS yourself.
Don’t click on any email if you want to know the status of your IRS refund. You may click here to go to the official IRS Where’s My Refund page. They have an app, an option for Spanish speakers, and their own online tracker.
Get Your IRS Refund in Houston With Our Bookkeeping Services
Are you ready to get your IRS refund now? You have until May 17th 2021 to file, but we recommend filing ASAP to avoid scams. Feel free to contact us to get help filing and for all your bookkeeping needs.