Ohio Attorney General\u2019s information<\/i><\/p>\n
COLUMBUS — Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine warned that Ohioans are being targeted by tax scams, even though tax season has ended.<\/p>\n
Since April 15 (the 2014 tax-filing deadline), the Ohio Attorney General\u2019s Office has received more than 50 reports of tax-related scams from consumers across the state. Most consumers do not report losing money, but a few consumers have reported losing $700 to $28,000 to the ploy.<\/p>\n
\u201cTax season is over, but tax scams are continuing,\u201d Attorney General DeWine said. \u201cCon artists pretend to be the IRS and tell consumers there is a problem with their taxes. They make threats and demand immediate payment. A legitimate government agency will not do this.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a typical variation of the scam, a con artist calls a consumer claiming to represent the IRS. The caller says the consumer owes money for back taxes or is under investigation for tax fraud. Then the caller asks the consumer to send money using a prepaid card to correct the issue. Once the money is sent, it is nearly impossible to recover.<\/p>\n
The phone number that appears on the consumer\u2019s caller ID may have a 202 (Washington DC) area code, but the number likely is \u201cspoofed,\u201d or made up, and the caller likely is located outside the country.<\/p>\n
To guard against the scams, be wary of callers who say:<\/p>\n