By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
There's less than a month left until your tax returns are due and officials with the IRS want you to be aware of possible scams.
Spokesman Michael Devine says criminals are very savvy.
"They watch the news, whatever is in the news they're going to capitalize on," Devine tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "Whether it's a disaster and they create a fake website to try to get you to donate or filing season when they pretend to be the IRS."
Devine says you may get a call out of the blue from someone claiming to be the IRS saying you owe money right now
"Well, the IRS doesn't call you out of the blue, we send you a letter through the mail," Devine says. "And we know that 90% of all data thefts begin with an email for phishing."
Devine says if you get an email claiming to be from the IRS, don't open it, because they also will not contact you that way. The IRS will only contact you through the United States mail and no other way.
Devine says that criminals want to get your attention and want to scare you
"They want to convince you that you have to give them your information or your money," Devine explains. "And think about it just for a minute, you can't pay your utility bills with anything other than a check or a credit card or a debit card, you can't go buy gift cards and give them the number, that's what criminals do."
Devine says to be very cautious this tax season as you work to file your returns.
Devine says if you have been a victim of identity theft because of a scam call or email, the IRS has a tool to help
"The IRS urges you to join a program that we created a few years ago, and now it's open to everyone, it's called an identity protection pin number, this is a voluntary program," Devine says. "And what it does is after you proven you are who you say you are, every year you will get a letter in the mail with a six-digit number that's a unique number between you and the IRS."
Devine says without that six-digit number your tax return will not be processed.
Tax returns are due April 18th.