LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – As Michiganders prepare for tax returns ahead of the April deadline, some may be receiving scam emails that appear to be from the Attorney General’s office, but may actually be attempting to steal the filer’s tax refund.

“Each year at tax time, bad actors appear out of the woodwork to scam hard-working consumers out of their tax refund,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said. “Remember, government agencies rarely ask for personal information by phone or email. These calls and emails should be reported immediately. My Consumer Protection Team stands ready to offer resources and advice when needed.”

How do you know if it’s a fake email?

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The scam emails come from a fake AG Nessel email that usually include questions such as “Are you dealing with scammers? If so, kindly get back to me with the letter, whereas, scammers are going to cost a huge amount of debt that you can’t even complete it through your entire living…” according to AG Nessel.

She also mentioned that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will never do the following:

• Demand immediate payment.
• Demand payment without any chance to appeal or dispute the amount due.
• Threaten to have you arrested.
• Require payment in the form of a gift card, pre-paid debit card, or wire transfer.
• Call, text, or email you and ask for your personal or financial information.

Symptoms of email scams: 

One of the initial signs that an email may be disingenuous, is that the real IRS email address will have a “@IRS.GOV” domain as opposed to something similar.

The IRS also recommends forwarding the emails to the organization so they may be able to track and shutdown the scams. For more detailed instructions about how to accomplish this, see here.

Other scams to keep an eye on: 

Historically, other IRS phone scams have included a variety of methods including: back taxes or penalty phone calls; debt collector contacts for back taxes; rebate phone calls; and paper check phone calls.

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“A fake IRS employee calls and says that the IRS sent a check that has not been cashed and the IRS needs to verify the individual’s bank account number,”  The only way the IRS collects your bank account details is if you choose to put them in your tax return.

For phone scams, the IRS recommends hanging up and calling the IRS directly at 800-829-1040.