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ALERT: IRS Warns of New Foreign Earned Income Tax Clearance Scam Letter

ALERT: IRS Warns of New Foreign Earned Income Tax Clearance Scam Letter

It may look a little bit like an official letter for the IRS, but there are enough red flags in the latest IRS scam letter to get your attention. 

The impersonator IRS letter (see sample below) is regarding an online transfer violation or the Foreign Earned Income Tax Clearance. There are

obvious typos, references to the Netherlands office, language and grammar problems to name a few. 

The IRS does normally initiate contact with taxpayers through the US mail. But, the IRS will not demand payment through a wire transfer, gift card or other specified payment methods. The IRS will not text, email or use social media to request your contact or personal information.  The IRS will also not use language like “dire consequences” in their notification letters. 

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration office has a special online form to report IRS impersonation scams. The form asks if

you have been a victim of the scam and collects details about the encounter. 

Be on the lookout for other scam letters and phone calls. Too many taxpayers have fallen victim. Law enforcement is getting better at tracking these criminals down, including a recent successful action and prison sentences against twenty-one people involved in massive call center fraud based in India.

Lee Reams II, writes for TaxBuzz, a tax news and advice website. Reach him at [email protected] or on LinkedIn

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Lee Reams II

Lee Reams II

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