It’s the time of year for tax filings and identity theft. Recently, the IRS issued a new warning about the latest scheme thieves use to steal your refund. The scammers steal a taxpayer’s identity, file a fraudulent return, and then use the taxpayer’s real bank account information to collect the refund. Once the refund is deposited, the thieves have a variety of different schemes to get the money sent from the taxpayer’s account to theirs.

If you receive a refund either by direct deposit or paper check that doesn’t match the return you filed, you may have received an erroneous refund. If you receive a suspicious refund, contact one our tax professionals so we can help you to determine the next steps to correct it. Also remember the IRS does not contact you via email to request personal or financial information. Generally, communication from the IRS is done through standard mail, so be wary of phone calls or emails threatening you in order to get your personal information.