Taxpayers need to be on guard against fake emails or websites looking to steal personal information. The IRS will not send you an email about a bill or refund out of the blue. Don’t click on one claiming to be from the IRS that takes you by surprise. Taxpayers should be wary of clicking on strange emails and websites. They may be scams to steal your personal information. IR-2017-15

Taxpayers need to watch out for identity theft, especially around tax time. The IRS continues to aggressively pursue the criminals that file fraudulent returns using someone else’s Social Security number. The IRS is making progress on this front, but taxpayers still need to be extremely careful and do everything they can to avoid becoming a victim. IR-2017-22

Taxpayers need to be on the lookout for unscrupulous return preparers. Return preparers are a vital part of the U.S. tax system. About 60 percent of taxpayers use tax professionals to prepare their returns. The vast majority of tax professionals provide honest, high-quality service. Still, there are some dishonest preparers who set up shop each filing season to perpetrate refund fraud, identity theft and other scams that hurt taxpayers. IR-2017-23

The recent string of successful enforcement actions against offshore tax cheats and the financial organizations that help them shows that it’s a bad bet to hide money and income offshore. The IRS offers the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) to help people get their taxes in order. IR-2017-35.

Though the majority of taxpayers file timely and accurate returns each year, the urge to “fudge” the numbers still strikes many. Often this is done relatively innocuously and the dollar amounts aren’t all that large. However, the IRS wants to warn taxpayers that audits are generated by an increasingly sophisticated automated system, and any inconsistencies are more likely to be caught and can lead to monetary penalties and even criminal charges. Filing an accurate return is a taxpayer’s best defense against potential audit. IR-2017-28.

Taxpayers need to be on the lookout for anyone promising inflated refunds. Taxpayers should be wary of anyone who asks them to sign a blank return, promises a big refund before looking at their records or charge fees based on a percentage of the refund. Scam artists use flyers, advertisements, phony storefronts and word of mouth via community groups and churches in seeking victims. IR-2017-26

Taxpayers should be on guard against groups masquerading as charitable organizations to attract donations from unsuspecting contributors. Contributors should take a few extra minutes to ensure their hard-earned money goes to legitimate and currently eligible charities. IRS.gov has the tools taxpayers need to check out the status of charitable organizations. Be wary of charities with names that are similar to familiar or nationally known organizations. IR-2017-25. 

Taxpayers should shy away from using abusive tax structures to avoid paying taxes. The IRS is committed to stopping complex tax avoidance schemes and the people who create and sell them. The vast majority of taxpayers pay their fair share and everyone should be on the lookout for people peddling tax shelters that sound too good to be true. When in doubt, taxpayers should seek an independent opinion regarding complex products that are offered. IR-2017-31

Taxpayers should avoid inventing income to erroneously claim tax credits. Most often, those that do so are unaware they’re doing anything wrong and are talked into it by scam artists. Taxpayers are best served by filing the most accurate return possible. IR-2017-29

A twist on last year’s warning against fuel tax credit scams, the IRS expanded the category this year to encompass all business credits, with particular focuses on the aforementioned fuel credit and the research credit. Certain commercial uses of fossil fuels are nontaxable. Businesses can claim a credit for fuel purchases for those purposes. The fuel credit is not available to most taxpayers (generally only off-highway businesses and farms), but it still sticks in the IRS’ craw and the service has taken repeated steps to improve compliance procedures in this area. The research credit is intended to encourage scientific experimentation and research (hence the name). However, the IRS has noticed significant abuse generally involving failure to actually perform or substantiate the qualified research activities for which the credit is being claimed. IR-2017-27.

Taxpayers should avoid using frivolous tax arguments to avoid paying their taxes. Promoters of frivolous schemes encourage taxpayers to make unreasonable and outlandish claims to avoid paying the taxes they owe. These arguments are wrong and have been thrown out of court in the past. While taxpayers have the right to contest their tax liabilities in court, no one has the right to disobey the law or disregard their responsibility to pay taxes. The penalty for filing a frivolous tax return is $5,000. IR-2017-33.