The Internal Revenue Service recently issued a warning to taxpayers and tax professionals that scam artists are now sending fake tax bills regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Taxpayers have reported to the IRS that scammers are sending a fake version of a CP2000 notice for tax year 2015. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration is now aware of the fake tax bills scam and issued advice to the public. The matter is under continuing investigation. This comes after widespread arrests of phone scammers around the world. New scams pop up all the time and the public must be vigilant about sending money or providing confidential information to someone on the phone. Everyone is a potential victim. If you are unsure whether you owe money, or if the letter you receive just does not look right, then call the IRS at 1-800 829-1040. A legitimate revenue officer will help. In the meantime, the IRS issues the advice below. For more information go to https://www.irs.gov/uac/beware-of-fake-irs-tax-bill-notices.
This scam may arrive by email, as an attachment, or by mail. It has many signs of being a fake:
- The CP2000 notices appear to be issued from an Austin, Texas, address;
- The letter says the issue is related to the Affordable Care Act and requests information regarding 2014 coverage;
- The payment voucher lists the letter number as 105C;
- Requests checks made out to I.R.S. and sent to the “Austin Processing Center” at a post office box.
