{"id":15590,"date":"2017-03-02T07:00:48","date_gmt":"2017-03-02T13:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/tax-center\/?p=15590"},"modified":"2021-08-18T15:54:24","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T20:54:24","slug":"irs-dirty-dozen-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/tax-center\/irs\/tax-fraud\/irs-dirty-dozen-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"IRS Dirty Dozen Tax Scams"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s Note:<\/strong> Each year, the IRS comes out with a Dirty Dozen list with the most common tax scams and this year’s list is out. Many of them peak during tax season, so read on!<\/em><\/p>\n

Here are the dirty dozen tax scams from the IRS this year:<\/h2>\n

1 – Phishing:<\/strong>\u00a0Fake emails and websites used to obtain\u00a0personal information are widespread. Know the\u00a0IRS will never contact with your\u00a0via email or web, so don\u2019t click on emails or fake websites\u00a0posing to be the\u00a0IRS!<\/p>\n

2 – Phone Scams:<\/strong>\u00a0 IRS phone scams<\/a> are an emerging way scammers target\u00a0taxpayers for personal information. Scammers who impersonate the IRS call you to demand money, claiming that you owe them immediately. Unfortunately, many people fall for this scam. In fact, since October 2015 the IRS has identified thousands of victims who have collectively paid more than $26 million as a result of IRS phone scams.<\/p>\n

3 – Identity Theft:<\/strong>\u00a0Tax identity theft<\/a> occurs when someone takes your personal information and uses it to file a fraudulent tax return in order to obtain a refund from the IRS. They have the refund sent to their own bank account. Then, when you go to file your tax return, the IRS may reject it because it sees your tax return as a duplicate.<\/p>\n

4 – Return Preparer Fraud:<\/strong>\u00a0The majority of tax pros offer\u00a0honest, high-quality service — but not all. In fact, there are some dishonest tax professionals\u00a0who exploit filing season as a time for refund fraud and identity theft.<\/p>\n

5 – Fake Charities:<\/strong>\u00a0There are some groups\u00a0who claim to be\u00a0charitable organizations (503(c)<\/a>) to attract donations from people like you. The IRS suggests the following: “Look out for charities with names similar to familiar or nationally-known organizations. Contributors should take a few extra minutes to ensure their hard-earned money goes to legitimate and currently eligible charities.” Tax note: Legit nonprofits should use Form 990<\/a> as an informational tax return.<\/p>\n

[Resource<\/strong>: Use this IRS tool<\/a> to search for (legit)\u00a0charitable organizations.]<\/em><\/p>\n

6 – Inflated Refund Claims and Shady Practices:<\/strong>\u00a0Watch out for tax preparers who claim to give you inflated refunds. Avoid tax preparers who ask you\u00a0to sign a blank return, promise a big refund before looking at your refunds,\u00a0or charge fees based on a percentage of the refund. Instead, a per-form pricing structure is the fair way to charge. Scammers hype up their services using ads (online and printed)\u00a0to lure victims.<\/p>\n

7 – Excessive Claims for Fuel Tax Credit:<\/strong>\u00a0Avoid improperly claiming the fuel tax credit. (This credit is typically limited to off-highway business use.) Improper claims often involve failures to participate in or substantiate qualified activities and meet the requirements of qualified research expenses.<\/p>\n

8 – Padding Deductions on Tax Returns:<\/strong>\u00a0Claiming tax deductions like charitable contributions, business expenses, or credits like the\u00a0Earned Income Tax Credit<\/a> or Child Tax Credit<\/a>\u00a0all are classified as padding deductions. Falsifying\u00a0deductions or expenses on\u00a0your tax returns to pay less on your tax returns or receive larger refunds is a huge IRS no-no.<\/p>\n

9 – Faking\u00a0Income to Claim Credits:<\/strong>\u00a0Inventing income to qualify for tax credits<\/a>\u00a0is a growing tax scam. Filing accurate information is critical — because you are\u00a0legally held responsible for what’s on it! Failure to do so can lead to back tax fees, interest, penalties, and in the worst case criminal prosecution.<\/p>\n

10 – Abusive Tax Shelters:<\/strong>\u00a0Don\u2019t use abusive tax structures to avoid paying taxes. When in doubt, seek the guidance of a tax professional.<\/p>\n

11 – Frivolous Tax Arguments:<\/strong>\u00a0Frivolous tax arguments to avoid paying tax is a IRS no-no. Promoters of such schemes encourage you\u00a0to make unreasonable and outlandish claims, even though they have been repeatedly thrown out of court. (The penalty for filing a frivolous tax return is $5,000. )<\/p>\n

12 – Offshore Tax Evasion:<\/strong>\u00a0Offshore tax avoidance occurs when bank accounts and other financial dealings in another country is used to evade your U.S. tax obligation.<\/p>\n

[Resource<\/strong>:\u00a0The IRS offers the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program<\/a> to enable people to catch up on their filing and tax obligations.]<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor’s Note: Each year, the IRS comes out with a Dirty Dozen list with the most common tax scams and this year’s list is out. Many of them peak during tax season, so read on! Here are the dirty dozen tax scams from the IRS this year: 1 – Phishing:\u00a0Fake emails and websites used to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":21020,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irs","category-tax-fraud"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"IRS Dirty Dozen List for 2017 | H&R Block<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The IRS releases a Dirty Dozen list of tax scams every year. 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