KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — Internal Revenue Service spokesman Luis Garcia was on a mission as he traveled through west Michigan on Thursday, spreading the word about all the ways you can be scammed during tax time.
He said scams range from phony IRS agents on the phone, to cheating tax preparers knocking on your door, to hackers filing for your tax refund before you get around to it.
“Every year during tax season, there are tax scams,” Garcia said. “But this one is really going strong.”
He said they are targeting the elderly and recent immigrants who may be more vulnerable to intimidation.
Garcia says Michiganders lost $875,000 to IRS scams last year.
He said, in the last three years, 5,000 victims have lost more than $26 million to scammers, hackers, and crooks pretending to work for the IRS.
– John McNeill
