The state Department of Revenue Services has joined a national effort with the IRS to fight tax fraud. The two agencies, along with others nationally, are working with tax preparers to prevent fraud and identity theft.
DRS Commissioner Kevin B. Sullivan, who was part of the initiative’s national rollout in Washington, D.C., dubbed “Taxes. Security. Together.”, said in a statement, “We are in a global war against tax-related identity theft and tax fraud. Connecticut continues to strengthen the ways we protect taxpayer identity information, screen suspicious filers and stop fraudulent refunds. Last tax season alone saw state tax fraud prevention increase from $23 million to $38 million.”
Among the campaign’s main recommendations:
- Don’t be duped by calls, emails or texts purporting to be from a tax agency. They’re scams. Federal and state tax authorities would never contact you out of the blue and threaten you with penalties, lawsuits or jail if you don’t share your bank account number or send money right away. The same is true of threatening solicitations that purport to be from your bank.
- Don’t click on any links. Attachments to emails pretending to be from a tax or financial institution may infect your computer or steal your log-in information.
- Safeguard your computer. Install security software that provides anti-virus and firewall protections.
