Breathe calmly and don’t panic if you receive a cardboard envelope with an IRS letter offering to help you get a tax refund this summer.
The letterhead resembles that of the IRS. However, the government will not send you any specific correspondence in relation to your unclaimed refund.
Safeguarding Yourself Against Tax Refund Scams
Unclaimed refunds might amount to hundreds of dollars for certain people. There has been no correspondence requesting vital details from you.
The latest scam letter goes to the extreme of asking for photocopies of your driver’s license. Such information is used by identity thieves to commit fraud, such as applying for new credit cards in your name or filing a fraudulent tax return in order to take your refund.
The data on your driver’s license includes personal details like your date of birth and address of residence. Awkwardly written terminology, like the directions for how to provide a picture of that driver’s license, is a red sign in many frauds, including this one.
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Filing Tax Return for Unclaimed Refund
Another red flag is that the letter states that the tax refund date is October 17. However, the Internal Revenue Service reminds us that the actual due date for 2022 tax extensions is October 16th.
There are over $1.5 billion in unclaimed tax returns from the 2018 tax year, and nearly 1.5 million people throughout the country are paying attention to a real July 17 deadline.
You have until July 17 to file your federal income tax return for 2018, regardless of whether or not you expect a refund. Of course, you won’t be receiving any urgent mail from us.
The Internal Revenue Service estimates that many low and moderate-income workers who failed to submit a 2019 return could have received up to $6,557 in credit had they claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit based on their income in that year.
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Source: USATODAY