NYSUT Member Benefits believes strongly in protecting the NYSUT membership against fraud and theft. To that effect, we want to ensure that all NYSUT members & their families take the necessary steps to safeguard against this type of crime as the 2016 tax deadline approaches.
The Internal Revenue Services recently issued a consumer alert on its website about criminals contacting taxpayers under the guise of verifying tax refund information over the phone.
According to the IRS website, "scam artists call saying they have your tax return and just need to verify a few details to process your return. The scam tries to get you to give up personal information such as a Social Security number or personal financial information such as bank numbers or credit cards."
Please keep in mind that the IRS will NOT contact you out of the blue over the phone asking to verify tax information or demanding immediate payment. If you receive a phone call like this, you should hang up immediately.
The IRS, various states around the country and the tax industry came together in 2015 to launch a public awareness campaign called
Taxes. Security. Together. to help educate taxpayers about the need to maintain online security and protect themselves against phishing and other schemes.
Click here to read the full release from the IRS website.