Scammers, fraudsters, and thieves—oh my! Unfortunately, criminals are standing by to steal your identity, your money or both for ill-gotten gain. Technology makes it easier for these “bad actors” to seem on the up-and-up. So, what do you do?

You can help protect yourself by:

  1. Identifying scams and signing up for the Indiana Attorney General’s fraud alerts.
  2. Keeping your identity and financial information safe.
  3. Reporting scams and contacting the appropriate agencies.

 

Fake Phone Calls or E-mails

Neither the Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) nor the IRS will call you to demand immediate payment of a tax bill using a specific method such as gift cards or a wire transfer.

If you receive a phone call asking for and pressuring you into making an immediate payment:

  • Record the phone number and then hang up. Do not give out personal information over the phone.

If the caller claims to be from the IRS, report the call to Treasury Inspector General for Tax Fraud online or call 800-366-4484.

  • If you receive a scam email, do not click on any links in the message.

If the email is regarding your federal tax return, you can report it by emailing the IRS at phishing@irs.gov. You will want to forward the suspicious email with the headers, if possible.

You can report fraud regarding Indiana taxes in two ways:

  • Through INTIME, DOR’s new e-services portal, or by
  • Downloading the Tax Fraud Referral Form and submitting to DOR at the address or fax number provided on the form.

Identity Fraud

The IRS also has a taxpayer guide to help you figure out what to do in the case of identity theft. Check it out here.

If you discover someone used your identity to claim unemployment benefits:

For unemployment benefits and other types of ID fraud:

Written by Gus Pearcy, State of Indiana

Pederson Tax Services