IRS Notices
We would like to remind our clients to watch for IRS notices and letters. If the IRS received your federal income tax return, but needs more information to verify your identity and process your tax return, they will send you Letter 4883C.
If you received Letter 4883C, it is not fraud. It is a legitimate request, from the IRS, asking you to verify your identity. The letter will contain instructions to call the toll-free IRS Identity Verification telephone number at 800-830-5084. Before you call, gather the following items:
- Letter 4883C
- Last year’s tax return
- Your current tax return
- Supporting documents, such as Forms W-2 or 1099
Remember, the IRS will never:
- Call to demand immediate payment, nor will we call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
- Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
- Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
- Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
- Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
We also remind our clients, this is the time of year they may see scam emails from their tax software provider or others asking them to update online accounts. Taxpayers should learn to recognize phishing emails, calls or texts that pose as familiar organizations such as banks, credit card companies, tax software providers or even the IRS. These ruses generally urge taxpayers to give up sensitive data such as passwords, Social Security numbers and bank account or credit card numbers.
If you receive a suspicious email, check with us first. Never open an attachment or link from an unknown or suspicious source. It may infect your computer with malware or steal information. Also, the IRS does not send unsolicited emails or request sensitive data via email.