top of page

2025 Tax Quiz 2

Dan Connors


Which of the following is not necessarily a sign of a scam?


1-    A phone call from a grandchild asking for money.

2-    An official looking letter saying that you have tax due and to make checks payable to IRS.

3-    An email threatening arrest unless you pay, asking you to call an 800 number.

4- A text message from an unfamiliar sender that asks you to click on a link to resolve a past-due debt.

5-    None of the above.


scroll down for the answers







1- A phone call from a grandchild asking for money isn't necessarily a scam, but increasingly it could be. Scammers have the ability to use AI to clone voices and fool people over the phone. Any call that sounds urgent and is requesting immediate wire transfers or gift card purchases is likely a scam. But if it really is a grandchild you should talk to mom or dad first to find out what's going on.


2- Red flag on this one. Checks should never be made out to IRS. They should be made out to the United States Treasury. Scammers are now able to create fake looking letters. Look any letter over carefully and see if something looks off. If anything about the letter looks suspicious or off, don't call the number on the letter- call the IRS taxpayer hotline at 800-829-1040 or consult a tax professional before you respond.


3- The IRS will never threaten to arrest you over the phone or email. In most cases they send a series of letters through the mail. Again, don't call the phone number, even if you think it's fake, because it will label you as a hot lead and you will get more and more scammers using that number later on.


4- The cardinal rule for phones and computers is never click on an unfamiliar link. Never. This is how scammers get access to your private information and install spyware that you can't see. If it is a company you regularly do business, like Amazon, you can click on it, but be on guard for cheap imitators. Scammers are able to find letters that look real but aren't to direct you to fake websites. Best to close the text and enter the site separately.+


5- Of the four of these, number one is least likely to be a scam, depending on the call. But you could make a case that all of these are scam-worthy.




21 views0 comments

Comments


©2019 by Dan Connors. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page