Michigan AG Nessel warns of scam letter targeting taxpayers
(CBS DETROIT) - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is warning of a scam letter targeting Michiganders this tax season.
The letter falsely informs recipients of an overdue tax bill, instructing them to immediately call the provided number. It also states that they will seize their property if the payment is not made. Nessel says the letter can appear credible, as it uses specific personal information and an official form number, but it's a scam.
"Sometimes they try to get your money by threatening you and scaring you. They will even tell people that you will go to jail if you don't pay us right now," said Nakia Mills, with the Better Business Bureau of Detroit & Eastern Michigan.
Mills said the IRS doesn't communicate in that way. The Michigan Department of Treasury uses official State of Michigan letterhead, and wouldn't rush you to make immediate payments.
Mills said it's important to remember the scam isn't always them asking for your money
"The other side of that, they'll call you and say 'Hey, I have a refund for you, I just need to confirm your information.' So now you give your social security number, your personal identifiable information, thinking they just needed to update their records and you have this big check coming in the mail."
She said if anything feels off, call the IRS directly and verify the information.
Another tactic they see is scammers posing as tax preparers, and tricking you into sharing your information.
"You're handing all sorts of information to these people, and if it's not a real tax preparer, who knows what they'll be doing with that information? They might try to steal your refund, they might try to steal your identity," Mills said.
Filing your taxes early can help, so you have time to do your research and not rush. Mills said doing your taxes early can also help prevent tax ID theft. She said some people don't find out their identity has been stolen until they go to file and are informed someone already has filed with their information.
