Treasury Warns of New Collections Scam
Scammers are Attempting to Collect Past-due Tax Debts with Fake Letters
Michigan taxpayers with past-due tax debts should be aware of a new scam making the rounds through the U.S. Postal Service, according to the Michigan Department of Treasury.
In the scheme, taxpayers are sent what appears to be a government-looking letter about an overdue tax bill, asking the taxpayer to immediately call a toll-free number to resolve a tax debt or face asset seizure. The correspondence appears credible to the taxpayer because it uses specific personal facts about the outstanding tax debt pulled directly from publicly available information. The scammer’s letter attempts to lure the taxpayer into a situation where they could make a payment to a criminal.
Taxpayers who receive a letter from a scammer or have questions about their state debts should call Treasury’s Collections Service Center at 1-866-218-7224. A customer service representative can log the scam, verify outstanding state debts and provide flexible payment options. To learn more about Michigan’s taxes and the collections process, go to www.michigan.gov/taxes or follow the state Treasury Department on Twitter at @MITreasury.
Scams at this time of year are surging, from tax-related schemes to holiday phishing attempts. Yeo & Yeo shares key practices that can help you prevent falling victim to such scams.
- Do not click on suspicious links or attachments in an email or call a number sent via email, mail, text or phone message 100c. Instead, go through an independent
source such as an online google search to go to the company’s website for contact information and verification.
- Do not reveal personal or company information until you have safely verified the source.
- Keep computers and mobile devices secure by keeping all software updated and password protecting all access.
- Stay abreast of current scams by signing up for free scam alerts from the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov/scams.
