{"id":112782,"date":"2019-02-01T08:21:13","date_gmt":"2019-02-01T13:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=112782"},"modified":"2019-02-01T08:21:18","modified_gmt":"2019-02-01T13:21:18","slug":"ohio-a-g-has-tax-scam-avoidance-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2019\/02\/01\/ohio-a-g-has-tax-scam-avoidance-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Ohio A-G has tax scam avoidance tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>VW independent\/submitted information<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>COLUMBUS &#8212; Attorney General Dave Yost is urging Ohioans to watch out for scammers this tax season and to protect their personal information and refund dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEverybody loves a tax refund &#8212; especially bad guys, who want yours,\u201d Attorney General Yost said. \u201cThey\u2019re rubbing their hands with glee now that it\u2019s tax season, and their favorite criminal tool is your personal information.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Attorney General\u2019s Office has received more than 130 reports of tax-related scams in January. The office encourages citizens to follow these steps when filing their taxes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>File taxes as soon as possible:&nbsp;<\/strong>Tax identity theft generally occurs when someone steals personal information to file a tax return and fraudulently obtain someone else\u2019s refund. The sooner people file, the less likely it is that someone can file on their behalf.<\/li><li><strong>Choose a reputable tax preparer:<\/strong>&nbsp;Those who use a tax preparer should make sure they have the credentials Ohioans looking for by visiting&nbsp;the IRS\u2019&nbsp;Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers&nbsp;or by&nbsp;confirming a&nbsp;Certified Public Accountant\u2019s credentials. Before having one\u2019s tax return prepared, ask about all associated fees. Research a business with the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/links.govdelivery.com\/track?type=click&amp;enid=ZWFzPTEmbXNpZD0mYXVpZD0mbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTkwMTMxLjkyOTIxMSZtZXNzYWdlaWQ9TURCLVBSRC1CVUwtMjAxOTAxMzEuOTI5MjExJmRhdGFiYXNlaWQ9MTAwMSZzZXJpYWw9MTczNjE0ODAmZW1haWxpZD1lZGl0b3JAdGhldndpbmRlcGVuZGVudC5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWVkaXRvckB0aGV2d2luZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvbSZ0YXJnZXRpZD0mZmw9Jm12aWQ9JmV4dHJhPSYmJg==&amp;&amp;&amp;103&amp;&amp;&amp;https:\/\/www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov\/Individuals-and-Families\/Consumers\/Search-Consumer-Complaints.aspx\">Ohio Attorney General\u2019s Office<\/a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/links.govdelivery.com\/track?type=click&amp;enid=ZWFzPTEmbXNpZD0mYXVpZD0mbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTkwMTMxLjkyOTIxMSZtZXNzYWdlaWQ9TURCLVBSRC1CVUwtMjAxOTAxMzEuOTI5MjExJmRhdGFiYXNlaWQ9MTAwMSZzZXJpYWw9MTczNjE0ODAmZW1haWxpZD1lZGl0b3JAdGhldndpbmRlcGVuZGVudC5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWVkaXRvckB0aGV2d2luZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvbSZ0YXJnZXRpZD0mZmw9Jm12aWQ9JmV4dHJhPSYmJg==&amp;&amp;&amp;104&amp;&amp;&amp;http:\/\/www.bbb.org\">Better Business Bureau<\/a>.<\/li><li><strong>Protect personal information:<\/strong>&nbsp;Those who file their taxes online need make sure to use a secure Internet connection. Those who file by mail should take their completed returns directly to the post office. Keep sensitive documents in a secure place. Shred any unneeded documents that contain Social Security numbers or other sensitive information.<\/li><li><strong>Consider the costs of any \u201cfast\u201d refunds:<\/strong>&nbsp;Offers for instant or \u201cfast\u201d refunds may be costly refund anticipation loans or refund anticipation checks. These products may involve substantial fees. Avoiding a refund anticipation loan may save money without diminishing the amount of a refund. When filing taxes electronically, taxpayers can have refunds directly deposited into their bank account, typically within a few weeks.<\/li><li><strong>Use any refund wisely<\/strong>: Be an informed consumer and smart shopper by spending any refund wisely or saving it for later. For any major purchases such as a vehicle, do business only with reputable dealers. Consumers can find help researching a company\u2019s reputation through the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/links.govdelivery.com\/track?type=click&amp;enid=ZWFzPTEmbXNpZD0mYXVpZD0mbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTkwMTMxLjkyOTIxMSZtZXNzYWdlaWQ9TURCLVBSRC1CVUwtMjAxOTAxMzEuOTI5MjExJmRhdGFiYXNlaWQ9MTAwMSZzZXJpYWw9MTczNjE0ODAmZW1haWxpZD1lZGl0b3JAdGhldndpbmRlcGVuZGVudC5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWVkaXRvckB0aGV2d2luZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvbSZ0YXJnZXRpZD0mZmw9Jm12aWQ9JmV4dHJhPSYmJg==&amp;&amp;&amp;105&amp;&amp;&amp;https:\/\/www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov\/Individuals-and-Families\/Consumers\/Search-Consumer-Complaints.aspx\">Ohio Attorney General\u2019s Office<\/a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/links.govdelivery.com\/track?type=click&amp;enid=ZWFzPTEmbXNpZD0mYXVpZD0mbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTkwMTMxLjkyOTIxMSZtZXNzYWdlaWQ9TURCLVBSRC1CVUwtMjAxOTAxMzEuOTI5MjExJmRhdGFiYXNlaWQ9MTAwMSZzZXJpYWw9MTczNjE0ODAmZW1haWxpZD1lZGl0b3JAdGhldndpbmRlcGVuZGVudC5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWVkaXRvckB0aGV2d2luZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvbSZ0YXJnZXRpZD0mZmw9Jm12aWQ9JmV4dHJhPSYmJg==&amp;&amp;&amp;106&amp;&amp;&amp;http:\/\/www.bbb.org\">Better Business Bureau<\/a>. Be sure to get everything &#8212; including any promises made by the dealer &#8212; in writing and read the fine print.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Consumers who suspect a scam or an unfair business practice should contact the Ohio Attorney General\u2019s Office at&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/links.govdelivery.com\/track?type=click&amp;enid=ZWFzPTEmbXNpZD0mYXVpZD0mbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTkwMTMxLjkyOTIxMSZtZXNzYWdlaWQ9TURCLVBSRC1CVUwtMjAxOTAxMzEuOTI5MjExJmRhdGFiYXNlaWQ9MTAwMSZzZXJpYWw9MTczNjE0ODAmZW1haWxpZD1lZGl0b3JAdGhldndpbmRlcGVuZGVudC5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWVkaXRvckB0aGV2d2luZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvbSZ0YXJnZXRpZD0mZmw9Jm12aWQ9JmV4dHJhPSYmJg==&amp;&amp;&amp;107&amp;&amp;&amp;http:\/\/www.OhioProtects.org\">www.OhioProtects.org<\/a>&nbsp;or 800.282.0515.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VW independent\/submitted information COLUMBUS &#8212; Attorney General Dave Yost is urging Ohioans to watch out for scammers this tax season and to protect their personal information and refund dollars. \u201cEverybody loves a tax refund &#8212; especially bad guys, who want yours,\u201d Attorney General Yost said. \u201cThey\u2019re rubbing their hands with glee now that it\u2019s tax [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-04 11:06:09","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112782"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112782\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}