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to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of electronic communi- cation, such as text messages and social media channels. For 2018, the IRS, the states, and the tax in- dustry joined together to enact new safeguards and take additional actions to combat tax-rela- ted identity theft. Many of these safeguards will be invisible to you, but invaluable to our fight against these criminal syndicates. If you pre- pare your own return with tax software, you will see new log-on standards. Some states also have taken additional steps. See your state revenue agency’s web site for additional de- tails. The following is a list of resources available to assist you in identifying and resolving ID theft issues. • Go to IRS.gov/IDProtection for information and videos. • If your SSN or ITIN has been lost or stolen or you suspect you are a victim of tax-rela- ted ID theft, visit IRS.gov/ID to learn what steps you should take. Also, see Pub. 5027, Identity Theft Information for Taxpayers, available at IRS.gov/Pub/irs- pdf/P5027.pdf, for more information. • To report ID theft, access the IRS ID Theft Tool Kit at IRS.gov/uac/Taxpayer-Guide- to-Identity-Theft. This page also provides a list of helpful toll-free phone numbers and links to other resources for reporting ID or data theft. • The IRS stops and flags suspicious or du- plicate federal tax returns that falsely rep- resent your identity, such as your name or SSN. If the IRS suspects tax ID theft, the agency will send a 5071C letter to your home address. If you receive this letter, verify your identity at IDVerify.IRS.gov or call the toll-free number listed in the letter. If you did not receive an IRS notice but be- lieve you’ve been the victim of ID theft, contact the IRS Identity Protection Special- ized Unit at 800-908-4490 right away so we can take steps to secure your tax ac- count and match your SSN or ITIN. • Also, fill out and submit the IRS Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit. Please write legibly and follow the directions on the back of the form that relate to your specific circumstances. • If you are a victim of state tax ID theft, con- tact your state's taxation department or comptroller's office about the next steps you need to take. • You should protect the information that you keep, and properly dispose of what you no longer need. And, of course, you should create a plan to respond to security inci- dents. As part of its long-standing efforts to promote good data security practices, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has un- dertaken extensive efforts to educate busi- nesses and has brought more than 50 law enforcement actions related to data secur- ity issues. For more information, see Pro- tecting Personal Information: A Guide for Business, available at FTC.gov/Tips- advice/business-center/guidance/ protecting-personal-information-guide- business, for practical tips on creating and implementing a plan for safeguarding per- sonal information used in your business. Most recently, the FTC released Start with Security: A Guide for Business, available at FTC.gov/Tips-advice/business-center/ guidance/start-security-guide-business? utm_source=govdelivery, which draws on the lessons learned from the FTC's en- forcement actions. The FTC works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business prac- tices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint, for example, to report someone falsely claiming to be from the government, a business, or a family member, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online data- base available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the United States and abroad. Complaints from consumers help the FTC detect patterns of fraud and abuse. The FTC’s website provides free infor- mation on a variety of consumer topics, in Eng- lish and in Spanish. Consumer complaints regarding interna- tional scams can be reported online through Econsumer.gov. These are also entered into Consumer Sentinel, the complaint database maintained by the FTC, and are made available to enforcers and regulators in countries with participating agencies. Those agencies may use the complaints to investigate cross-border issues, uncover new scams, pursue regulatory or enforcement actions, and spot consumer trends. Recognizing and reporting tax scams. The Dirty Dozen is compiled annually by the IRS and lists a variety of common scams taxpayers may encounter any time during the year. Many of these con games peak during filing season as people prepare their tax returns or hire someone to do so. Aggressive and threatening phone calls by criminals impersonating IRS agents remain near the top of the annual Dirty Dozen list of tax scams for the 2018 filing sea- son. Scammers are able to alter caller identifica- tion (caller ID) numbers to make it look like the IRS is calling. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification or badge numbers. They often leave “urgent” callback requests. They prey on the most vulnerable people, such as the elderly, newly arrived immigrants, and those whose first language is not English. Scammers have been known to impersonate agents of IRS Criminal Investigation as well. Be cautious when receiving suspicious calls at home or at work from sources claiming to be from the IRS, other agencies, or outside sour- ces asking for money or credit card information, or threatening to have you arrested for not pay- ing. These callers may demand money or may say you have a refund due and try to trick you into sharing private information. These con ar- tists can sound convincing when they call. They may know a lot about you. Here are five things the scammers often do but the IRS will not do. Any one of these five things is a tell-tale sign of a scam. The IRS will never do any of the follow- ing. • Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed with- out 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 arres- ted for not paying. If you get a phone call from someone claim- ing to be from the IRS and asking for money, do not disclose your personal information. You should make notes of all information regarding the call and/or the caller, for example, any caller ID information, then hang up immediately and do the following. • If you know you owe taxes or think you might owe, call the IRS toll free at 800-829-1040. The IRS assistors can help you with a payment issue. • If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, report the in- cident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) toll free at 800-366-4484 or at TIGTA.gov. • If you’ve been targeted by this scam, also contact the FTC and use their FTC Complaint Assistant at FTC.gov. Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the com- ments of your complaint. Remember, too, the IRS does not use email, text messages, or any social media to discuss your personal tax issue involving bills or refunds. If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS regarding a refund owed to you and asking you for your SSN and bank account information, do not give them this information. You should make notes of all infor- mation regarding the call and/or the caller, for example, any caller ID information, and report this scam. For more information on reporting tax scams, go to IRS.gov and type “scam” in the search box. You can verify any potential re- funds owed to you by contacting the IRS di- rectly. Additional information about tax scams is available on IRS social media sites, including YouTube, youtube.com/irsvideos, and Tumblr, internalrevenueservice.tumblr.com, where peo- ple can search “scam” to find all the scam-rela- ted posts. Checking on the status of a refund. • Go to IRS.gov/Refunds. • According to the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act, the IRS can’t issue refunds before mid-February 2019 for returns that properly claim the EIC or the ACTC. This applies to the entire re- fund, not just the portion associated with these credits. • Download the official IRS2Go app to your mobile device to check your refund status. • Call the automated refund hotline toll free at 800-829-1954. Page 60 Chapter 13 How To Get Tax Help