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| Tax Season? It's scam season, too. | ||
| 05/08/2009 | ||
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SALEM—Now that you've filed your Oregon income tax return, what's next? Making sure you don't fall for identity theft scams, that's what. A new e-mail scam asks you to file a corrected return because you made a mistake. The e-mail looks official, and asks you to mail information. But the address isn't for the Department of Revenue. "The e-mail seems legitimate," says Joan Linn, customer service center manager, "but it's not." You can check the Department of Revenue's mailing addresses online. The Oregon Department of Revenue doesn't send e-mails asking for sensitive information. "We only e-mail taxpayers when they've asked us to," says Linn, "and we suggest they don't send confidential information through e-mail, even to us." Other times, scammers pose as a representative of a company that claims to work with, or for, the Department of Revenue. "We do work with vendors that regularly contact taxpayers; if you're unsure, you can call us to check," Linn says. If you get a suspicious phone call or e-mail, call the Oregon Attorney General's toll-free consumer hotline, 1-877-877-9392, or visit their website. For more information on Oregon income taxes or to check the status of your refund, visit www.oregon.gov/DOR, or call 1-800-356-4222 toll-free from an Oregon prefix (English or Spanish); 503-378-4988 in Salem and outside of Oregon; or e-mail. For TTY (hearing or speech impaired), call 1-800-886-7204. |
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