Millions of Americans fall prey to scams each year, especially Seniors. Staying alert and knowing where to report financial exploitation helps stop scammers from claiming more victims. Carlos Samaniego, who is a health care tax advisor who specialize in senior issues, taught a 1 hour workshop to the residents of El Dorado Mobile Home park, they learned how to recognize and avoid the top 4 scams affecting Seniors.
In the workshop he discussed the following scams: Tech Support Scams, Silent Call Scam, IRS tax man & calls, and Medicare scam. Carlos gave examples on how they work and how local seniors got take advantage. The IRS tax man and calls was has been one of the worst.
Beware the tax man
Scammers know that taxes strike fear in the hearts of men and women. Exploiting the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) name and function is one way that scammers have been able to get people to open their wallets. Samaniego, actually played a live recording he received just the day before of an actual scam IRS call. Almost every resident said they had gotten a call very similar. Two types of IRS scams have been making the rounds in the past year:
Fake notices that claim you owe money as a result of the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare”). These are especially tricky, says the Federal Trade Commission, because their design mimics the real IRS notices.
Automated calls from the IRS claiming that you owe back taxes and requesting you pay via gift card. Sometimes these fake IRS calls are not automated, but rather a live person calling from a Washington, DC area code (202) using high pressure scare tactics to get your money (for example, saying the police are coming to arrest you for not paying your taxes). There are several red flags and tips to know whether you’re dealing with the real IRS vs. a scammer:
The IRS never initiates contact with you via phone call, email, or through social media.
The IRS cannot threaten to have you arrested or deported for not paying.
You will never be asked to pay using a gift card, prepaid debit card, or wire transfer; the IRS also never takes credit/debit card information over the phone.
If you owe the IRS back taxes, you will always have the opportunity to question or appeal the amount.
You can send any suspect correspondence to phishing@irs.gov and let the FTC know. If you get a fake IRS call, hang up immediately and report it to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1 (800) 366-4484. If you like to schedule a workshop or a call with Carlos Samaniego feel free to call him directly at (909) 570-1103 or email him at Carlos@HealthcareTaxAdvisor.com.