In advance of tax season, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office is reminding members of the community to remain wary of tax scams.
Because public awareness is one of the keys to prevention, the Sheriff’s Office reminds residents to stay alert for many potential scams related to tax season. Scammers commonly prey upon those who are most vulnerable, such as the elderly, newly arrived immigrants, and those whose first language is not English.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will begin accepting and processing 2021 tax returns starting January 24, 2022. The Sheriff’s Office advises community members to file their 2021 Tax Returns as early as possible. Filing early may prevent scammers from fraudulently filing a return utilizing an unsuspecting citizen’s identity.
Another new tax scam targets parents regarding the Child Tax Credit. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), many scammers are trying to gain personal information by pretending to be from the IRS, contacting people by phone, text, email, and social media – sending people to official-looking websites that look just like the IRS.
The following information provided by the IRS will help community members identify fraudulent communications. The Sheriff’s Office urges residents to share this information with family, friends, associates and co-workers:
- The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers via e-mail, text messages, or social media channels to request personal or financial information, even information related to the Child Tax Credit.
- The IRS does not leave pre-recorded, urgent, or threatening messages. Aggressive calls warning taxpayers about a lawsuit or arrest are fake.
- The IRS will not call taxpayers asking them to provide or verify financial information so they can obtain the monthly Child Tax Credit payments.
- The IRS will not ask for payment via a gift card, wire transfer or cryptocurrency.
For information on where to report suspicious IRS-related tax scams click here.
