Be Wary of Fradulent CP2000s
The IRS is warning taxpayers and practitioners that a new scam uses fraudulent CP2000s to solicit money from taxpayers. The fraudulent forms look convincing, and shows balances due that are small enough that taxpayers just might pay rather than arguing the point.
However, upon closer inspection, these forms have telltale signs of fraud:
- The instructions direct the taxpayer to make out a check to “I.R.S.” rather than to “United States Treasury;” and
- The return address is “Austin Processing Center, P.O. Box 15264, Austin, TX 78761- 5264,” which does not match the address listed on the IRS website for the Austin Processing Center.
Tax practitioners should advise clients to contact them if any unexpected balance due arrives from the IRS, so that the correspondence can be verified.
The IRS has not yet posted an alert about this phishing scam variation, but information is forthcoming and it will be available at the following page:
www.irs.gov/uac/latest-news
If you receive a CP2000 from the IRS or you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact our office.
