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IRS Releases 2019 ‘Dirty Dozen’ Tax Scams, Potential Impact For Santa Clarita

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released its 2019 “Dirty Dozen” list of 12 tax scams that Santa Clarita residents should be on the lookout for.

This year’s list includes a wide variety of schemes that taxpayers may encounter at any time, although many may peak during tax-filing season, according to officials.

“The schemes run the gamut from simple refund inflation scams to complex tax shelter deals,” reads a statement from the IRS. “A common theme throughout all: Scams put taxpayers at risk.”

The top scheme for 2019 is phishing, a practice where scammers send fake emails or links to fraudulent websites looking to steal personal information, according to officials.

The IRS will never initiate contact with taxpayers via email about a bill or tax refund,” the IRS statement reads. “Don’t click on one claiming to be from the IRS. Be wary of emails and websites that may be nothing more than scams to steal personal information.”

Another similar scheme listed in the “Dirty Dozen” list is fraudulent phone calls, where the scammer calls claiming to be an IRS agent.

“The IRS has seen a surge of these phone scams in recent years as con artists threaten taxpayers with police arrest, deportation and license revocation, among other things,” the IRS statement reads.

Identity theft remains a year-long issue that the IRS faces. Despite some improvements made by the agency in conjunction with a Security Summit partnership of state tax agencies, the threat of identity theft is still something for taxpayers to be concerned about, according to officials.

“The agency reminds taxpayers that they can help in preventing this crime,” the IRS statement reads. “The IRS continues to aggressively pursue criminals that file fraudulent tax returns using someone else’s Social Security number.”

Other scams listed in the “Dirty Dozen” include inflated refund claims, fake charities and offshore tax avoidance.

For a full list of the “Dirty Dozen,” click here.


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IRS Releases 2019 ‘Dirty Dozen’ Tax Scams, Potential Impact For Santa Clarita

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About Michael Brown

Michael Brown has lived in Santa Clarita his whole life. Graduating from Saugus High School in 2016, he continued to stay local by attending The Master’s University, where he achieved a Bachelor's Degree in Communication. Michael joined KHTS in January of 2018 as a news intern, and has since gone on to become the News Director for the KHTS Newsroom. Since joining KHTS, Michael has covered many breaking news stories (both on scene and on air), interviewed dozens of prominent state and federal political figures, and interacted with hundreds of residents from Santa Clarita. When he is not working, Michael enjoys spending time with his family, as well as reading any comic book he can get his hands on.