COVID-19 And Taxes Have Something In Common. Scammers

Until recently COVID-19 and taxes had nothing in common, but now police are warning you to keep your eyes open for alerts regarding either.

From a story reported on by WWLP/22 News Springfield, every year scammers get more creative and believable. This year, they are getting much more aggressive. So officials say people need to be much more vigilant.

Officials are urging everyone, especially seniors, to guard personal and financial information. Scammers are finding creative ways to exploit seniors, and recently it’s taken an aggressive turn.

Springfield Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood says tax and vaccine scams are ongoing. If you get a call, text, or an e-mail from someone offering to do your taxes, do not respond. This is a fraud posing as a tax professional.

Tax firms and accountants will not offer services through that mode of communication.

Here's an example of one popular tax scam, the IRS Phone Scam:

The premise here is that you have a surprise tax bill you need to pay immediately to the IRS or you’ll be arrested. The scammers use phone spoofing to make their number come up on your caller ID as “IRS.” And they may already have the last four digits of your Social Security number. Don’t be fooled by that.

Know this: The IRS will never contact you by phone asking for money. The agency communicates exclusively through snail mail.

It’s also important to only trust close friends and family to bring you to get your COVID-19 vaccine. Never pay a stranger to bring you.

These scams are happening throughout the state and beyond. Stay vigilant and call your local police department with any questions or issues.

Please check out the story on WWLP/22 News' website here and we thank them for the update.