Livermore Police Caution Residents During Tax Season

Livermore Police have released tips this tax season to help keep the community from being victimized by criminals.

Residents are urged to take the following precautions:

It is that time of year when people are collecting their documents and W2’s as they get ready to file their taxes by the April deadline. However, as community members get ready and prepare for the process, criminals and those who would defraud the public do the same thing. Since October 2013, more than 3,000 people have lost over $14,000,000 dollars to tax scams.

The Livermore Police Department asks our community members to please take a moment and review these simple suggestions to keep you safe and avoid becoming a victim.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) has provided the following information regarding current telephone tax scams occurring across the United States.

• Telephone fraudsters will try many different things to gain your trust, and once they have it, will do everything they can to get money from you. Some will be overly pleasant, and some will be hostile and threatening in nature to intimidate you.
• The callers may have heavy foreign accents, use common names, and/or provide fake badge numbers. The number on the caller ID may appear to be the IRS since the scammers may spoof the IRS toll free number.
• The simplest thing to remember: if you think a call might be a scam, hang up. There’s no need to engage the caller and no need to give them additional opportunities to make you a victim. Don’t give away any personal information over the phone, including your financial information.

Be aware, per the TIGTA, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will never:

• Call to demand immediate payment, nor will they call about taxes owed without first having sent a detailed bill.
• Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question the bill, or appeal the amount they say you owe
• Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card
• Ask for credit or debit card numbers or bank account numbers over the phone
• Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying

If you are concerned about the legitimacy of a call, contact the IRS at 1.800.829.1040. If you have unfortunately already become a victim, please visit the following website: http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml

Also, please remember to properly retain and/or destroy all of your personal documents. Never discard documents that have information that could be used to help someone impersonate you or manipulate your identity, in the regular garbage. Contact the Franchise Tax Board or Internal Revenue Service directly for questions regarding retention rules.

Each year during tax season the Livermore Police Department takes numerous reports from community members who have been victims of tax scams. Please take the time to review these simple tips to keep yourself and your tax-related finances safe. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to call Livermore Police Department-Public Information Officer line at (925) 371-4777.

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