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New ‘Cardboard Envelope’ Tax Scam Is Targeting Taxpayers: IRS
Epoch Times ^ | 7/3/23 | Tom Ozimek

Posted on 07/04/2023 6:47:48 AM PDT by CFW

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a warning to taxpayers about a new scam mail scheme that attempts to trick people into believing the government owes them money.

“The new scheme involves a mailing coming in a cardboard envelope from a delivery service,” the IRS said in a statement on July 3.

Inside the cardboard envelope is a letter on IRS masthead while fraudulently claiming that the notice is “in relation to your unclaimed refund.”

While dangling the prospect of obtaining unclaimed tax refund dollars, the letter asks taxpayers to provide sensitive personal information, including detailed photographs of drivers’ licenses. The data that the scammers are trying to obtain can be used by thieves to try and obtain a tax refund or other sensitive financial information.

(Excerpt) Read more at theepochtimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: identitythief; irs; irsscam; scam; scammers; taxscam
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I would hope most Freepers are too smart to fall for these scams. However, this is the type of scheme I always made sure to mention to my elderly mother and others who may be unaware of the criminals newest method of getting the information to steal your identity.
1 posted on 07/04/2023 6:47:48 AM PDT by CFW
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To: CFW

Greed will bite you on the ass every time. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.


2 posted on 07/04/2023 6:52:45 AM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (A man in NM is killed over a movie theater seat. The azhos in The Swamp think guns are the problem. )
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To: CFW

Useful info. Will discuss with elderly mother. She is sadly gullible in her advanced years.


3 posted on 07/04/2023 6:53:15 AM PDT by NautiNurse (Don't be obtuse)
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To: CFW

Well, the government DOES owe me money. They just don’t want to admit it. 😉👍💰


4 posted on 07/04/2023 6:58:56 AM PDT by rktman (Destroy America from within? Check! WTH? Enlisted USN 1967 to end up with this💩? 🚫💉)
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To: NautiNurse

“She is sadly gullible in her advanced years”

We are 72 and are both still sharp (if I do say so myself — maybe I’m deluded!). But I worry about loss of faculties and becoming gullible as we age.

Can our financial institutions be instructed to not release large amounts of money without first checking with the customer and named fiduciaries for approval?


5 posted on 07/04/2023 7:00:06 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (I don’t like to think before I say something...I want to be just as surprised as everyone else.)
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To: CFW

My 94 year old Mother is very wary of anything like this. I give Judge Judy credit for this. Mother watches every day.


6 posted on 07/04/2023 7:01:12 AM PDT by super7man (Madam Defarge, knitting, knitting, always knitting.)
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To: CFW

I get emails about a Fedex package on a email account I never use to buy things, all the time ,LOL


7 posted on 07/04/2023 7:02:10 AM PDT by butlerweave
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

Good idea to check with your financial institutions.


8 posted on 07/04/2023 7:02:36 AM PDT by NautiNurse (Don't be obtuse)
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To: CFW

A good defense to a wide range of scams is to freeze your credit.


9 posted on 07/04/2023 7:04:02 AM PDT by super7man (Madam Defarge, knitting, knitting, always knitting.)
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To: CFW

Of course if the income tax were repealed and replaced with a national retail sales tax then this sort of scam would be less effective. But it’s almost as if the sadists in Congress want this to happen, along with all the other abuses possible under the tax code.


10 posted on 07/04/2023 7:12:08 AM PDT by coloradan (They're not the mainstream media, they're the gaslight media. It's what they do. )
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To: CFW

Crap like that goes in the trash, We file first day we can, and have our refund days later.


11 posted on 07/04/2023 7:14:59 AM PDT by GailA (Constitution vs evil Treasonous political Apparatchiks, Constitutional Conservative.)
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To: coloradan

“then this sort of scam would be less effective”

Are there any people on earth more clever than scammers? As soon as you shut down one scam, a dozen more pop up.

We are in for many “Deep Fake” scams in the upcoming years.


12 posted on 07/04/2023 7:38:38 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (I don’t like to think before I say something...I want to be just as surprised as everyone else.)
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To: CFW

It would seem that if the ‘real IRS’ and PTB don’t deal with this, it seems we’ll soon hit the stage where anything received by the IRS will just get tossed out. If they ever show up, people will just say “I’ve gotten so much that says ‘IRS’ on it that it became impossible to differentiate between what was legit and what was a scam.”


13 posted on 07/04/2023 7:40:31 AM PDT by hecticskeptic
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To: butlerweave

I had a torrent of emails saying if I didn’t provide McAffie (this is the way they spelled it) your “account would be suspended!!!” LOL! I don’t even use McAfee.
“This is the very last time we are emailing you about this!” GOOD!


14 posted on 07/04/2023 7:47:10 AM PDT by Shady (The Force of Liberty must prevail for the sake of our Children and Grandchildren...)
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To: super7man
Judge Judy

Was forced to watch it in the dentist waiting room. Truly mind-numbing.

15 posted on 07/04/2023 7:53:51 AM PDT by Libloather (Why do climate change hoax deniers live in mansions on the beach?)
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To: CFW

I deal with the IRS every month sending in income taxes for my employees.l, Quarterly’s, etc. I’ve seen just about everything the IRS throws at you. No cardboard letters asking for personal info. They HAVE every piece of financial information and I’m sure some personal things unrelated to finances. They don’t need any of that.


16 posted on 07/04/2023 7:53:59 AM PDT by lucky american (Progressives are attacking our rights and y'all will sit there and take it.)
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To: lucky american

Yeah, it is amazing to me that we still have to file a return. They know where every penny is.


17 posted on 07/04/2023 8:01:59 AM PDT by crusty old prospector
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To: lucky american

Just another reason to abolish the IRS. See tagline.


18 posted on 07/04/2023 8:37:40 AM PDT by unixfox (Abolish Slavery, Repeal the 16th Amendment)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

But, not always.

For decades my wife has done our taxes, primarily using TurboTax. I stayed away since she is a professional tax adviser. I do the engineering stuff, she does the money.

This last submittal surprised us both. IRS came back with a letter within days of our filing saying that there was an error. An error in our favor. >$90K.

Uh? What the SH**? Normally, we pay a modest amount (i.e., why give them $$ ahead of time? ).

The next week we got the check. Cashed it.

Always check before tossing into the trash. Yeah, most likely a scam. But, check.


19 posted on 07/04/2023 8:50:21 AM PDT by bobbo666 (Baizuo)
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To: hecticskeptic

“It would seem that if the ‘real IRS’ and PTB don’t deal with this, it seems we’ll soon hit the stage where anything received by the IRS will just get tossed out. If they ever show up, people will just say “I’ve gotten so much that says ‘IRS’ on it that it became impossible to differentiate between what was legit and what was a scam.””


It is much the same as fake jury notices being sent by email. The emails state you have missed jury duty and must pay a fine, but first you need to send in all your personal information to verify you are really who you think you are. People fall for those!


20 posted on 07/04/2023 8:56:11 AM PDT by CFW (old and retired)
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