Tax Scams
California’s State Controller tracks and has identified 3 new email tax-related scams. One scam is an offer to check on the status of a taxpayer’s tax refund claim. This is a “phishing” scam which attempts to get the taxpayer to reveal his or her social security number. Unsolicited offers like this should be ignored.
A second scam is a letter from what appears to be the California Franchise Tax Board advising the taxpayer that an FTB audit has been commenced and refers to a Georgia address. If you receive any such notice either let your tax professional check it out or call the FTB directly at 800-852-5711.
A third scam is a letter from a fictitious “Annual Minutes Compliance Board” requesting payment of a $150 annual fee to an address in Temecula. There is no such board and no such fee. Email scams have become a fact of daily Internet life, and some of them use a tax “hook.” If you receive any unsolicited tax-related email, you should not respond without first checking it out. You can do this with your tax professional or, if it purports to involve a California tax, with the California Franchise Tax Board.
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