Tax prep isn’t the only tax-related issue with which seniors may need extra assistance. Unfortunately, a lot of telephone, postal mail, and email scams target seniors specifically. The reasons why are as numerous as they are morally disgusting. Often, scammers target seniors under the assumption that their lack of tech savvy makes them more likely to follow instructions without question and, sadly, this is a strategy that tends to work. This means that anyone who cares for a senior citizen needs to provide direct, continuous assistance in order to ensure the seniors in their lives don’t fall victim to one of these schemes. One common scam tactic sees criminals contacting seniors during tax season and aggressively demanding payment of supposed outstanding tax debts. Other scams focus on taxes related to loan debts and the scammers may actually do a surprising amount of research on each senior they target. When seniors get the call, the scammer uses researched personal information to trick seniors into thinking the call is legitimate. Though they may seem legitimate, these calls are scams. Tax debt claims detailed in these calls are bogus and seniors who fall victim to these claims suffer great financial harm. Every year seems to bring a new set of tax-related scams targeting seniors. Details may change, but if you and the seniors in your life understand the basics of how to identify and deal with a scam, you’ll stay safe in the long term.
It’s important to note that while many phone scams use robotic or human voice recordings, tax scams typically use live human operators. These scammers impersonate IRS agents over the phone and use intimidation tactics, preying on fear to get financial information they then use to steal from their victims. The IRS itself is aware of this scam and warns seniors to ignore these calls. It’s important to note that the IRS does not call people to demand payment of back taxes; these notices are almost always given via letters posted through the US mail. Even if the IRS did call citizens to demand back tax payment, seniors would be within their rights to take down the name, badge number, and phone number of the supposed IRS agent and to call back later to verify details, including contacting the IRS through its main customer service helpline numbers.
Email scams can also be an issue, with spammers creating fake IRS email accounts and using logos and other identifying imagery that makes emails look official. However, these emails are easy to spot because they don’t have a gov email address and because the IRS NEVER sends bills via email. An email from an address such as collections@irsdebtcollectors.com is fake and should be deleted without opening. Tax-focused scams all tend to take on the same general characteristics. Intimidation, fear, and even sophisticated mimicking of IRS credentials are all part of the scammer playbook, particularly when it comes to phone calls. Some scamming operations can even make caller ID displays seems like the number is coming from the IRS, even when the IRS isn’t actually calling. The IRS reports that scammers are even making up fake employee names and badge numbers to make their scam more convincing. Operations that target seniors are often highly sophisticated and give every appearance of being authentic.
However convincing these scammers may be, there are some basic things for seniors to look out for. A real IRS agent will not demand immediate payment over the phone. In spite of its reputation, the IRS is a generally sympathetic organization that simply wants to collect payment, and the people who work for this public office are not incentivized to harass people the way some private-sector collections agency employees are. IRS employees typically want to protect their fellow citizens from scams, so they should not take issue with the idea of having their credentials verified or allowing the person they’re dealing with to confirm specifics of an account. You can even ask for your IRS communications to be sent to you in writing. A scammer might not be so patient and, most importantly, their claims will not be verified when you contact the IRS through their official IRS customer service numbers. Seniors need to be made aware of the prevalence of tax scams and how they operate. Advise the seniors in your life not only of the danger these scams present but also of the steps they should take when they’re contacted by someone who claims to be an IRS agent and demands payment for a delinquent tax account. Let them know not to panic. Following these important steps will help protect them from tax scams:
1. NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION such as bank names, credit card numbers, or checking account numbers over the phone. (This is true in all circumstances in which seniors receive an incoming call regarding a tax account, even if the person the senior is talking to seems like a genuine IRS agent.)
2. IGNORE AND DELETE ANY EMAILS CLAIMING TO BE FROM THE IRS. The IRS does not use email to communicate information about debts or account issues.
3. NEVER GIVE OUT PERSONAL CONTACT INFORMATION, including names and addresses unless the senior has made a direct call to an IRS contact line.
4. REQUEST THE NAME, BADGE ID NUMBER, AND CONTACT PHONE NUMBER OF THE SUPPOSED IRS EMPLOYEE, and terminate the call immediately thereafter. There is no need to use proper telephone manners during these calls. Encourage the senior to hang up after obtaining information about the caller. If the caller will not provide this information, seniors should hang up immediately. IRS agents are required to identify themselves.
5. AVOID CONVERSATIONS WITH AND REFUSE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS POSED BY CALLERS CLAIMING TO BE IRS AGENTS. Some scammers use extended conversation as a tactic to confuse seniors and prey on their increased vulnerability during a stressful phone call.
6. ONLY USE CONTACT NUMBERS LISTED ON THE IRS WEBSITE, IRS.GOV.
7. NEVER CALL NUMBERS PROVIDED BY A SUPPOSED AGENT WHO CALLS THE SENIOR DIRECTLY. Any and all tax-related business can be handled through the IRS customer service line. Seniors should not believe any information to the contrary.
8. CALLING THE IRS DIRECTLY THROUGH THE APPROVED CONTACT NUMBERS DETAILED ABOVE TO CONFIRM DETAILS OF THE SITUATION and to request a written account statement to be mailed to the physical address listed on the tax account in question.
9. GETTING IN TOUCH WITH ONE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS discussed in this article before taking any action at all regarding a supposedly delinquent account. (IRS Volunteer Tax Assistance (VITA) program, Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE), or AARP Foundation). Additionally, you should inform the seniors in your life that the IRS doesn’t tend to impose immediate penalties for nonpayment. This is an important detail. Scammers rely on their ability to overwhelm and frighten seniors into thinking that they’ll suffer great consequences if they don’t give payment information on the phone right away. IRS rules and regulations do not allow for this kind of demand to be made in such a direct manner. There is no harm in waiting until the proper steps are taken to verify that the account is indeed delinquent. Empowering seniors requires the proper communication of accurate information. If you don’t feel equal to the task of providing detailed counsel on these issues with the seniors in your life, put these individuals in touch with one of the tax counseling services listed above (the IRS Volunteer Tax Assistance (VITA) program, Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE), or AARP Foundation). As mentioned before, these services specialize in assisting seniors with tax-related issues and are experts in explaining and communicating tax laws and processes in a way that is easy to understand. For seniors on fixed incomes, financial health can be the key to physical and emotional health as well. Help out where you can to keep your friends and family members safe and happy.
Source: Aging.com
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