Avoiding IRS Tax Scams
By Houston TX CPA Jim Trippon, on the web at www.CPAHoustonTX.com
IRS tax-related scams are turning to be a major source of worry for the IRS. It has advised the public to be aware of all the possible devious methods that shady operators are using all over the US to cheat ignorant citizens of their confidential information as well as their hard-earned money. A large number of scams use the internet to con people. People easily fall for such schemes as they promise to help them to avoid paying taxes to the IRS – most people would look forward to such a reality, but there’s no actual way to reduce the taxes by such methods. Besides getting fooled by the con artists, you also run the risk of falling into trouble with the IRS when you get involved in such schemes.
Don’t get influenced by these unscrupulous operators and avoid choosing the following schemes as you will not be successful in avoiding taxes anyway by doing that:
Fuel tax credit scams: the IRS gets a large number of fuel tax credit claims that are totally unreasonable most of the time. At times, farmers are eligible for such claims, but anyone besides them cannot qualify for the same. Such a claim is deemed as frivolous by the IRS if you try to claim it without reason and can lead to a heavy penalty that will have to be paid by you.
Phishing: this is one of the biggest rackets right now. Criminals are successfully using the internet to pump out valuable personal information from an endless number of people. Once they are able to get the information, it is used to siphon off funds from the bank accounts of the victims. They don’t just stop at this – credit cards are illegally used and loans are applied for by using the victim’s name and personal information. This scam usually starts off with an email from the criminals claiming to be from the IRS or from some other genuine source. You need to be very careful when you get such mails – the IRS will never send an email when it needs to inform taxpayers regarding tax-related problems. If you can remember this, then you will be able to easily get the better of such criminals.
Hiding income offshore: yes, a large number of citizens attempt to avoid taxes by maintaining illegal offshore bank accounts and brokerage accounts. They use their offshore account debit cards and credit cards and also make wire transfers. The IRS is known to take very strong action on such activities.
Zero wages: counterfeit wages or salary information is filed by many citizens so that they can avoid the tax net spread by the IRS. But this too is an illegal way to avoid tax and can get you into trouble. Although this method is very tempting, avoid it. It’s better to do away with such schemes that cheat the Government of its taxes.
Remember it is never good to play around with the IRS. It has a well-oiled machinery to take care of all kinds of bogus claims and schemes.
About the Author: Jim Trippon CPA is the founder of J.M. Trippon & Company, PC a CPA firm in Houston, Texas that works with Houston business owners and their families. For more information, or for help with IRS negotiations or tax reporting for your family or business, please contact Houston TX CPA Jim Trippon at 713-661-1040 or visit our website at www.CPAHoustonTX.com.
