If you have been targeted towards a tax preparation scam or ever been the victim of a similar fraud and refuse to just let it go, you do have options. For those who want to report these scams to law enforcement or other agencies, we have gathered a list of some of the most popular and best resources to do so. No matter what type of scam you are being targeted towards, there are ways to put scammers on notice that you are on to them. From Nigerian princes to “your bank” telling you of an urgent emergency, use the below to help put these scammers out of business.
1. The IRS
The largest tax fraud hall monitor of all, the IRS has a special section for reporting a tax preparation scam. If you know or suspect someone of filing false deductions or exemptions, taking kickbacks, altering documents, not paying taxes, not reporting income, failing to withhold, or even taking kickbacks, there is a system in place to report them. Just use Form 3949-A to do so.
If the tax preparation fraud does not meet the above requirements, there are other ways to report scams including stolen identity, fraudulent activity, tax return preparation scams, abusive tax promotion, falsely exempted organizations, and fraudulent sites or emails purporting to be the IRS.
2. Internet Crime Complaining Center
This site was specifically created by the FBI to report and monitor tax preparation and other frauds committed on the web. You may file a complaint online provided you are willing to share your contact information including phone number, address, and name. You will be asked for specific details on when, how, and why you believe you were contacted fraudulently by a scammer, in addition to any other information that is necessary to support this complaint.
Are you the constant recipient of fraudulent, scamming, or outright spammy emails? Forward them to spam@uce.gov.
3. Federal Trade Commission
The mission of the FTC is to “protect America’s consumers.” This includes a means to report scams sent to your home or business. You will be asked to share:
• Your contact info including name, address, phone number, and email
• What type of product or service was involved in the scam or fraud
• The contact info about the company or individual involved including business name, phone number, address, website, email address, and name of the representative
• Any and all details about the transaction or attempted transaction including the amount you paid, how you paid the amount, and the date you paid
4. Econsumer
Involved in an international scam (and most are)? Use this site to report it. It is a partnership of 34 consumer protection agencies located around the globe. They even have special sections for the most common of scams including lottery, online shopping, jobs, travel, credit, telemarketing, and more.
5. Ripoff Report
If you are a fan of the private sector, use this handy little site. Millions of visitors from all over the world come to this site in order to report scams of every nature from phone to mail to online and even in person. In addition to being able to file a report, you can also use your available data to lookup the current individual or organization who is contacting you to see if they are on the up and up. You may also read the latest reports and search the rip off reports for your area.
Tax Preparation – Houston
And if you live in the Houston area and are in need of a tax preparation firm to help you, please contact me.