WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today concluded its annual "Dirty Dozen" list of tax scams with a warning to taxpayers to remain vigilant about these aggressive and evolving schemes throughout the year.
There is good news for those of you on Medicare--new cards will be issued on April 1 that don't have your Social Security number on them, which in the past has exposed beneficiaries to possible identity theft. The bad news? Scammers will take advantage of this fact to pose as Medicare employees, calling you and claiming that you need to pay for a new temporary card--sometimes stating that this new card will cost $50. To "process" it, they'll ask for your personal financial information, such as your bank account or credit card information and use this precious data to steal your identity.