DAYTON, Ohio — A sneaky new scam involving tax refunds is spreading, and it means you need to keep a close eye on your bank account.
There are several variations of the scam: unexpected refund deposits to your bank account using compromised bank routing information, suspicious paper checks coming in the mail and, in one case reported in Maryland, it appeared a fraudulent refund check had been deposited using a smartphone.
If you pay the scammers, you will get a double whammy hit to your bank account when the IRS or your bank realize that the deposit was bogus and withdraws the funds.
According to the IRS, the victim will then receive a call or recorded message saying they need to return the funds to a collection agency, which is actually the scam account.
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The number of victims jumped from a few hundred to a few thousand in just days, after more tax practitioner data breaches, according to the IRS.
The IRS has these recommendations to avoid getting scammed:
If you notice a suspicious deposit, contact your bank to have the money returned to the IRS and call the IRS at 800-829-1040.
If you receive a paper check, write “void” in the endorsement field on the back and return it to the location printed on the check.
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If you mistakenly cashed the erroneous refund check, submit a check for the full amount to the IRS location near you.
- ANDOVER – Internal Revenue Service, 310 Lowell Street, Andover MA 01810
- ATLANTA – Internal Revenue Service, 4800 Buford Highway, Chamblee GA 30341
- AUSTIN – Internal Revenue Service, 3651 South Interregional Highway 35, Austin TX 78741
- BRKHAVN – Internal Revenue Service, 5000 Corporate Ct., Holtsville NY 11742
- CNCNATI – Internal Revenue Service, 201 West Rivercenter Blvd., Covington KY 41011
- FRESNO – Internal Revenue Service, 5045 East Butler Avenue, Fresno CA 93727
- KANS CY – Internal Revenue Service, 333 W. Pershing Road, Kansas City MO 64108-4302
- MEMPHIS – Internal Revenue Service, 5333 Getwell Road, Memphis TN 38118
- OGDEN – Internal Revenue Service, 1973 Rulon White Blvd., Ogden UT 84201
- PHILA – Internal Revenue Service, 2970 Market St., Philadelphia PA 19104