~ McCollum: Beware fraudulent tax preparation "experts," offers ~

Attorney General Bill McCollum today issued a consumer advisory warning Floridians to be on the lookout for tax-related scams.

Complaints about fraudulent tax preparers are reported to the Attorney
General’s Office each year, as are issues with identity theft and
fraudulent charities. The Attorney General also advised consumers to ask about service fees up front and avoid tax preparers who claim they can obtain larger refunds than anyone else.

"As tax season approaches and Floridians get ready to file for tax returns, scams begin to develop and con artists begin looking for ways to take advantage of people," said Attorney General McCollum. "Floridians can protect themselves by being educated about common schemes and reporting fraud to the Attorney General’s Office."

To avoid being scammed by a non-legitimate tax preparer, consumers should get the credentials of the tax preparer and ask if he or she belongs to a state board or bar association which requires continuing education.

The Attorney General’s Office also recommends that consumers shop around for quotes and ask tax preparers if they will represent consumers who are audited or pay any audit-related fees. Only attorneys, certified public accountants and enrolled agents can represent taxpayers before the IRS in any matter including audits, collections and appeals.

One of the more common scams associated with tax season is "phishing," which occurs when individuals pose as Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or other government or banking representatives and send consumers e-mails seeking personal information allegedly for the purpose of processing refunds.

The emails are usually created to look official and may include
subject lines that read "Refund Notice" or similarly misleading phrases.
However, the IRS does not send e-mails asking for personal information to process refunds. Consumers can visit the agency’s website at http://www.IRS.gov and click on "Where’s My Refund" to check on the status of their refunds.

Another scheme which often surfaces during tax season is the creation of fraudulent charities which email consumers seeking contributions they claim can be written off as tax-deductible. Florida law requires charities to register with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and provide financial information about income and expenditures.

Consumers have the right to ask for an organization's financial report and its federal tax identification number which is necessary to claim
contributions as tax deductions.

Attorney General McCollum offered the following recommendations to
consumers to avoid tax-related scams:

- Never give out personal identification information to anyone who is soliciting money.

- Do not let anyone purporting to be an agent for the IRS into your
home unless he or she has proper identification.

Consumers may file complaints about tax-related scams and any other types of fraud by calling the Attorney General’s fraud hotline, 1-866-966-7226, or by filing a complaint online at: http://www.myfloridalegal.com.