ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) – Tax season is upon us, and so are con artists. Some convincing scammers have been targeting people around New Mexico.
- Excessive fuel tax-credit claims
- Abusive tax structures
- Falsely claiming zero wages
- Frivolous arguments
- False income, expenses
- Bogus charitable organizations
- Hidden offshore income
- Return preparer fraud
- ‘Free money’ from inflated refunds
- Phishing
- Telephone scams
- Identity theft
Lear more on these scams: BankRate.com
“My wife didn’t get to the phone in time, but she heard the message and called me immediately,” Jim Wolcott of Albuquerque told KRQE News 13.
The message claims to be from the IRS, saying the IRS is filing a lawsuit against the Wolcotts.
Wolcott said they had not received any other warning from the IRS, and quickly realized it was not legit.
“A phone call probably indicated it was a scam,” Wolcott said.
KRQE News 13 called the number the scammer left for the Wolcotts, but the phone just rang.
Wolcott said he wanted to get the scam out there so no one falls for the phony threats.
The IRS identified these aggressive and threatening calls as part of the dirty dozen tax scams this year. The callers can be convincing, using fake names and bogus badge numbers.
The New Mexico Attorney General’s Office told KRQE News 13 they’ve gotten numerous reports of phone scams across the state. They said some people have even reached out for help over Facebook.
According to the BBB, this scam has targeted tens of thousands of people.
