IRS Issues Scam Warning

The Internal Revenue Service is warning consumers to watch out for possible fake charity scams emerging due to severe flooding this month in South Carolina and neighboring states.

IRS officials said that following major disasters, it is common for scam artists to impersonate charities to get money or private information from well-intentioned taxpayers.

They added that such fraudulent schemes may involve contact by telephone, social media, email or in-person solicitations.

According to the IRS, bogus websites may solicit funds for disaster victims.

Officials said such fraudulent sites frequently mimic the sites of, or use names similar to, legitimate charities, or claim to be affiliated with legitimate charities in order to persuade members of the public to send money or provide personal financial information that can be used to steal identities or financial resources.

Also, the IRS said scammers often send email that steers the recipient to bogus websites that appear to be affiliated with legitimate charitable causes.

The IRS cautioned people wishing to make disaster-related charitable donations to avoid scam artists by following a number of tips.

They include donating to recognized charities, being wary of charities with names that are similar to familiar or nationally known organizations, not giving out personal information like Social Security numbers or bank account information, and donating by check or credit card to provide documentation of the donation,

Taxpayers suspecting disaster-related frauds by email should visit www.irs.gov and search for the keywords “Report Phishing.”

Also, more information about tax scams and schemes may be found at www.irs.gov using the keywords “scams and schemes.”