Tax Fraud Warning from Montecito Bank & Trust

1 watching now Premiere in progress. Started 3 minutes ago Subscribe Today so you Don’t Miss any Important Warnings! With Doris Roof, Senior Fraud Specialist from Montecito Bank & Trust. The IRS and California Franchise Tax Board extended the federal and state tax deadline to Oct. 16, 2023, for most California counties. Because of this, many people who are filing their taxes now are finding out that a scammer has already filed their taxes and taken their refund! In another scam, people are contacted by a con artist who is pretending to be from the IRS. These con artists generally contact people by phone or by mail. They use scare tactics and demand you contact them immediately, saying you owe them money. Don’t believe it! Never wire money to them or pay them with gift cards. If they ask you to do so, IT’S A SCAM! Remember, if you get one of these letters, don’t call the number that’s in the letter. And don’t trust that the phone call you’re receiving is really from the IRS. At the very least, they will want you to disclose information so that they can steal your identity! Go to the IRS official website and click on customer service for help. GOOD NEWS! At the end of the podcast, Vicki shares some good news! A woman in Washington State had been systematically stealing people’s identities and then making fake ids and opening bank accounts in her victim’s names. She stole over $472,000 from victims but FINALLY got caught and convicted. Please call SCAM SQUAD’S FRAUD HOTLINE at 805-568-2442 You can simply get information from Vicki, or share your story of being scammed (or nearly scammed) to help others.