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10 scams you should watch out for this tax season, and how to avoid them

Business Insider spoke with three CPAs to get the inside scoop on scams to watch out for this tax season.

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  • Every
  • Bogus, aggressive phone calls demanding payment and "phishy" emails taking you to scam sites are still the most prevalent scams, but there are some new tactics, and some lesser-known scams to be wary of too.
  • Business Insider spoke with three CPAs to get the inside scoop on

1. Phishing emails

IRS

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2. Phone calls from the "IRS"

IRS

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3. Using your Social Security number to file a tax return and steal your refund

Whether criminals have gotten your information from hacking, data breaches, or by using a phishing email that you fell for, if they have your social security number and other vital data about you, they can file a return in your name, according to Lindsey. "The scammers often get the refund put onto prepaid debit cards instead of being deposited in bank accounts because it's a lot harder to trace once the payment has been made," Lindsey said.

4. Fees based on your return amount

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5. Pop-up tax preparers

6. Harvesting information from hotspot or public WiFi networks

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7. Prize and trip email scams

8. Tricking businesses to release data

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9. Tax preparers getting hacked

Because there are more robust identity theft filters in place, criminals are specifically targeting tax professionals with phishing emails posing as the IRS or software companies.The IRS warns

10. Fake tax bills through the mail

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