October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and while Washington state isn't number one of the list of the most tax scams the state is number 7. That ranking means 550 victims lost more than $15 million to government impersonation scams in 2023.

WHEN IT'S TAX SEASON BE AWARE OF SCAMS

According to reverse search company Social Catfish a majority of the scams happen during the tax season when scammers pretend to be agents from the IRS to try and get your financial information. All total Social Catfish says a record $394 million was lost nationally in 2023, up from $241 million the year prior.

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10 STATES SEE THE MOST SCAMS INCLUDING WA STATE

Most of scams are centered in 10 states where taxpayers have lost millions of dollars.
The top ten state impacted are;
California ($88.3 million)

Kansas ($44 million)

Florida ($27.1 million)

New York ($26.5 million)

Massachusetts ($22.2 million)

Texas ($17.1 million)

Washington ($15.05 million)

New Jersey ($15.02 million)

Maryland ($14.7 million)

Pennsylvania ($12.6 million)

SO HOW DO YOU AVOID BECOMING A VICTIM?

Officials at Social Catfish say there are 5 common online tax scams to avoid;

1. The Turbo Tax scam in which scammers say they're from TurboTax asking people to update accounts or saying there's an issue with a tax return. Trick websites and phone calls.
2. Fake accountants. Scammers pretending to be a CPA. You pay them up front. They disappear.
3. Spoofing IRS Phone Call. Scammers using a technique that makes it look like the phone call is coming from the IRS.
4. Unclaimed Refund: Scammers send emails with the IRS logo saying the person owes more and all they have to do is click on a scam link.
5. Employee Retention Credit: The ERC is a tax credit for businesses that employed people during the pandemic. Scammers put up ads saying they can help business owners get the ERC credit immediatly.

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