From the April Newsletter of the
Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
April 15 is traditionally the last day to submit your annual tax returns, but that date falls on a Sunday this year. Normally Tax Day would be bumped to the following Monday. However, Emancipation Day, a Washington, D.C., holiday, is observed on Monday, April 16, which gives taxpayers nationwide an additional day to file.
Scammers often use tax season to prey on Floridians’ identities and hard-earned money. Scammers may pose as IRS representatives and request personal information over the phone or offer to file consumers’ taxes for a fee.
Consumers can help protect themselves from tax scams by keeping the following in mind:
- The IRS contacts taxpayers by mail in most cases and will never ask for a credit card, prepaid debit card, money order or wire transfer immediately over the phone.
- The IRS will never threaten to involve local law enforcement to issue an arrest or suspend a license.
- Never give out personal information over the phone, such as Social Security numbers, bank account numbers or credit/debit card numbers without verifying the source. To ensure the source is legitimate, hang up and call the entity using its official number.
- Floridians who are unsure about their tax situation can reach the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.