Tax controversy and IRS: “Dirty Dozen” list specifies tax scams

As much as the IRS adheres to stringent guidelines for the average American taxpayer, it also desires to protect taxpayers from those who may seek to take advantage of them. As such, the IRS issues a list every year called the “Dirty Dozen Tax Scams.”

Included in the list are those people who knowingly commit tax fraud, those who misuse trusts and people who claim exemptions or deductions to which they are not entitled. That aside, the list highlights perpetrators of tax scams who prey on the recipients of Social Security and those who receive other benefits awarded to the elderly or those two cannot readily care for themselves. Believe it or not, even a number of tax preparers have been cited by the IRS for engaging in “shady” practices.

The Better Business Bureau reported that the most notorious tax scam affecting innocent people is the phishing scam. Either via e-mail or through the postal service, scammers make an attempt to obtain confidential information that is being used for identity theft purposes. Sometimes, identity theft like this can get an unsuspecting victim caught up in a tax scam that will cause the IRS to come knocking on their door, even if they were not knowingly doing anything wrong.

Tax laws in the United States are incredibly complicated. And whether with malicious intent or by complete accident, Americans can find themselves facing legal recourse as a result of an infraction. A number of people have found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place because they have fallen victim to a tax scam. Either way, an experienced tax attorney in Texas may be able to assist victims of tax fraud.

Source: The Commercial Appeal, “Better Business: Flurry of tax scams in area prompts IRS warning,” Randy Hutchinson, Sept. 6, 2011