Tax Season and How AI Can Be Used To Try to Scam You – Professional Tax Services

Artificial intelligence is enabling some scammers to become more progressive and harder to spot. In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission estimated that scams cost American taxpayers 12.5 billion dollars. Tax scams are becoming more likely because the tools of AI are making it easier for scammers to generate persuasive impersonations that skip over traditional security through sophisticated created communications. Thus, be cautious and know how to spot scams.
Through the power of AI and deepfakes, more scammers are using computerized methods to present fake websites, counterfeit emails, and AI-generated voices that deliver carefully crafted content via voicemail or phone calls. They can even use deepfake voices to impersonate a person’s boss or a close friend to persuade the individual to provide personal information. A typical red flag includes receiving an urgent phone call from a person or AI posing as an IRS agent who demands payment and personal information, including obtaining the individual’s social security number, tax PIN, bank account, and login credentials. The most common attacks involve links to collaborative cloud services where harmful files are masqueraded as legitimate.
Protecting Yourself Against Tax Scams
•Ignore unexpected contacts from the IRS. If there is an issue, the IRS will first send you a letter. The IRS will not initiate a phone call, email, or text. So, stop communicating.
•Scammers will try to get you to act right away. Take your time, and do not click on a link to pay a tax bill until you have thoroughly investigated the situation.
• Some scammers pretend to be legitimate tax preparers. They may offer a lower rate for tax preparation and promise a large tax return, and then steal your money. Therefore, do not select a tax preparer from a phone call, email, or social media text without checking that the tax preparer has a valid Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN).
Better yet, choose a reputable tax preparer who has an excellent reputation in your community. If you choose us, we will provide you with unlimited complimentary tax planning advice in addition to your return, and of course, share with you our Preparer Tax Identification Number.
Should you be contacted by a fraudulent tax preparer, contact us. We will explain how to report the fraud to the IRS.
Professional Tax Services is a locally owned provider serving over 3,700 local residents and businesses. For more information, call 661-259-1967 or visit www.scvprotaxservices.com.