Warning To Michiganders About New Phishing Scam From IRS

There are so many phone scams going on these days to be aware of.  Some of the ones you should know about include COVID-19 Scams, Rumors, Price Gouging, Banking Scams, Telephone Scams, Census-Related Fraud, Government Grant Scams, Investment Scams, Lottery and Sweepstakes Scams, and Charity Scams.

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Who Gets Targeted The Most

Really upsets me when they take advantage of the elderly and they are the ones that seem to get targeted the most.

According to the IRS and fox47news.com, there have been so many more phishing scams lately, way more than usual. The latest one is tied to the economic impact payments. There has been a huge amount of reports in the past months.  The IRS says they have not seen this many reports in more than 10 years.

It’s critically important for members of the public to be aware of these scams and avoid becoming a victim. If anyone believes they are a victim, I encourage them to report it," U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Andrew Birge said.

Here is the deal, beware of text messages saying that you are eligible for a stimulus payment.  They will ask you to click on a link and fill out personal information to get your money. They will claim they are from the IRS and have calculated a taxpayer’s “fiscal activity” and you are eligible for another big payment.

Know This From The IRS

The IRS says familiarize how the IRS contacts taxpayers. They do not send unsolicited texts or emails or threaten folks with jail time or lawsuits. They will NEVER demand tax payments on gift cards or via cryptocurrency.

Make sure you report all fraud attempts to treasury.gov. Pass the word to family and friends.