As tax season approaches, the Better Business Bureau reminds consumers to be cautious when choosing a tax preparer. Unscrupulous tax preparers may try to file false returns in your name, or may even try to have tax refund payments made to them instead of you. “It is extremely important to be careful and informed when you are choosing someone to prepare your taxes,” said Claire Rosenzweig, President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau Serving Metro New York. “They will have access to your most important personally identifiable information.”
The BBB urges consumers to keep these points in mind when choosing a tax preparer:
· Avoid tax preparers who claim they can get you a better tax refund than other preparers or who charge a fee that is a percentage of your return. Scammers may try to attract victims in this way.
· File your tax return as early as you can. Do not wait until the last moment. Scammers may try to beat you by filing a fake return first.
· Check the business with BBB at www.newyork.bbb.org and make sure they have a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN). Ask for references and check them. Don’t provide your personal information to an unfamiliar preparer or tax preparation website until you have checked that preparer’s background.
· Never sign a blank tax form.
· Do not allow a tax preparer to file your return electronically before you have reviewed and approved it.
ü Check the tax return to be sure the details about your income, expenses, and deductions are correct.
ü Get a printed copy of the return that will be filed in your name, signed by the preparer.
· Find out whether the preparer or that person’s firm will be around to help you with questions about how your tax return was done. Seek a reliable preparer who can demonstrate he or she will be available for months, even years into the future to assist you if needed.
Warning Signs of Tax-Related Identity Theft:
Ø IRS sends you a letter saying that more than one tax return has been filed for you, or referring to unfamiliar financial accounts or activities.
Ø IRS records show that you received wages from an unknown employer; that you owe back taxes on income you did not earn; or that you owe taxes for a year in which you did not file a tax return.
If you are affected by tax-related identity theft, try these steps one at a time, in order.
1. Call the IRS Identity Theft Hotline. First, contact the IRS Identity Theft Hotline for guidance at 1-800-908-4490 (for Spanish, select option 2).
2. Visit an IRS office. If you are not able to obtain assistance over the phone, visit an IRS office. Explain that you are an identity theft victim and ask for help in your language. You can find an IRS office in your area through the IRS website at www.irs.gov/uac/Contact-Your-Local-IRS-Office-1.
3. Use online IRS resources. If you have access to a computer and the Internet, see IRS tips at http://www.irs.gov/uac/Identity-Protection.
4. Call the IRS Taxpayer Advocate. If none of the above options resolve your issue, contact the Taxpayer Advocate office at 1-877-777-4778 or http://www.irs.gov/uac/Taxpayer-Advocate-Service-6.
For more information about identity theft issues go to www.newyork.bbb.org/identitytheft.
For more tips you can trust, visit www.newyork.bbb.org, and to sign up for our weekly scam alerts, visit https://cbbb.wufoo.com/forms/email-sign-up/.