Carson City, NV - Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford has warned Nevada consumers to be cautious of scams related to the Child Tax Credit, as payments started rolling out in July.
"Whenever there is a new government program, scammers find a way to take advantage," said AG Ford. "The IRS is warning taxpayers about a scam to use the Child Tax Credit to steal consumers' personally identifying information. Be on alert to keep your data and financial information safe."
Scammers impersonating the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are contacting taxpayers via methods including telephone, e-mail, text and social media. Scammers may use a variety of tactics to make their call appear legitimate and convincing, including using a caller ID that shows the IRS as the caller; providing a fake IRS badge number; or listing sensitive personal information such as the last four digits of your Social Security number. Typically, the caller reaches out asking you to verify your information in order to receive the Child Tax Credit payment. This is an attempt to get you to reveal your personal or financial information; however, none of this information is necessary to receive your payments from the IRS.
If you are eligible for advance payments of the Child Tax Credit, the IRS will use information from your 2019 or 2020 tax return to automatically enroll you for advance payments. You do not need to take any additional action to get advance payments of the child tax credit. If you aren't required to file a tax return and haven't given the IRS your information, you can go to IRS.gov to provide basic information for the Child Tax Credit.
The IRS will not initiate contact about a tax obligation by phone, email or social media platforms. If a consumer suspects the caller is an impostor, the best option is to hang up. If you are able to gather information or specifics about the caller, you are encouraged to report the call to the FTC or the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.