Well, the Internal Revenue Service is doing its part to make sure you are not a victim of a scam this tax season. The IRS has come out with a list of what its calling the ‘Dirty Dozen.’ The top scams and sites Ken Amaro is here, chatting live about this. Indeed. You know what I always say? If it sounds too good to be true it probably is not true. So today I went to the experts at Tax Defense Network, a company that deals in taxes and has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, to see how you can protect yourself from at least 3 of the IRS’ Dirty Dozen tax scams. At Tax Defense Network they’ve seen it all when it comes to taxes. Tax Defense Network is a tax resolution company that helps taxpayers resolve problems with the IRS. Trying to get people into compliance to deal with disputed issues. Ronnie Hicks is lead attorney at Tax Defense Network. I spoke with him to find ways for us to avoid becoming a victim of some of the IRS’ ‘Dirty Dozen’ tax scams. Number one: The return preparer fraud. You ask the preparer, what are your credentials? What are your educational requirements? Do you have some references? And then two, probably one of the most powerful tools across the board, is the internet. Hicks says preparers are not required to have a professional certification, nor are they regulated by the IRS. Number two: Non-taxable Social Security benefits with exaggerated withholding credits. Preparers have started, and individuals have started, just, really, making up …
