Top Scams To Watch Out For In Pennsylvania This Tax Season

PENNSYLVANIA — Tax season is coming up, and that means that scamming season is coming up, too. Local and state authorities are warning residents to be aware of tactics used by scammers to gain access to your personal information or to trick you into paying a false debt that you don't owe.

Here's what to keep an eye out for, and how to protect those most vulnerable to these criminal tactics.

Final Demand for Payment

These letters claim to be from something called the "Tax Processing Center," and threaten seizure of a taxpayer's property if they don't make payment to the "State of Pennsylvania." An 800-number is included for victims to call avoid the payment.

"This is a classic scam that uses pressure tactics and fear to motivate the recipient into taking immediate action," Revenue Secretary Dan Hassell warned in 2019. "Criminals may also access public records so they can include taxpayer-specific information on the notices to make them appear legitimate."

Property Tax or Rent Rebate Program Scam

The Department of Revenue warned over the summer that Pennsylvania residents who receive rebates through the state's Property Tax or Rent Rebate program were being targeted by scammers trying to get bank information.

The calls come from a 717 area code (Harrisburg) and scammers pretend to be Department of Revenue employees.

The IRS Impersonation Scam

One of the most popular scams of any kind in the nation, the IRS impersonation scam involves scam callers making threats or demands to victims over the phone. These threats can take various forms, but they often mention arrest or further penalties if payments are not immediately made.

Very often, scammers demand these payments be made in the form of gift cards.

In Pennsylvania, victims had lost $1,850,751 to the IRS impersonation scam as of Jan. 2018.

The IRS Scam: Fake Mailings

This scam involves letters being sent to residents, who are usually senior citizens. The letters claim to be from the IRS, include an official-looking form, and allege a significant balance due.

The letters ask for payment be made to the IRS, and officials say that's the first hint it's not real; authentic payments are made to the United States Treasury.

These scams also list fake post office boxes in the letter; for a list of real post office boxes, see here.

The Chester County Sheriff's Office issued a warning on this scam in January.

Non-Tax Specific Scams

There are numerous scams that have been reported in Pennsylvania recently that may not specifically target taxpayers, but which use identical tactics and result in the same damages.

In one case, a scam voicemail urges residents to turn themselves in, leaving a number to call back and provide extensive personal information.

In another case, Pennsylvania scammers claimed to be a local county judge in order to collect false payments.

A teller at a Pennsylvania bank saved an elderly woman from a scammer who told her that her social security number had been "compromised" and she had to pay a large sum to fix it.

And a local police chief was even targeted by a voicemail claiming that the Social Security Administration's Federal Crimes and Investigation Department had issued a "suspension notice" against him. The Social Security Administration will never call and make threats like that over the phone, and the "suspension" is not something that even exists, officials noted.

The "Dirty Dozen" Scams

The IRS issues an annual list of the "most aggressive and evolving schemes" each year. The 2020 list has not yet been released, but the 2019 list included phishing schemes, phone scams, identity theft, inflated refund claims, return preparer fraud, fake charities, excessive claims for business credits, abusive tax shelters, offshore tax arguments, falsifying income to claim tax credits, and more. Details on that national list can be found here.