-Source-Forbes-
You can tell that it’s hurricane season. Currently, the National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories in the Atlantic Ocean for Subtropical Storm Debby and in the Pacific Ocean for Tropical Storm Kristy and Hurricanes Hector and John. It’s been mostly quiet on the U.S. coasts, but according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. averages one to two hurricane landfalls each season. We’re roughly halfway through hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.
National Hurricane Center
National Hurricane CenterGETTY
But it’s not just the winds and rains that you should be watching out for: Criminals and scammers often try to take advantage of taxpayers who want to help victims of major disasters. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) continues to remind taxpayers to be alert for scams that will “undoubtedly pop up when and if a hurricane occurs.”
This isn’t a new worry. Fraudulent schemes involving fake charities are so pervasive that they were included on the list of the IRS “Dirty Dozen” scams for 2018. The Dirty Dozen is compiled annually by the IRS and lists a variety of common scams taxpayers may encounter any time during the year. You can see read about the schemes here.
When it comes to fake charity-related scams, they usually start with unsolicited contact. That might be a telephone call, social media post or message, e-mail or even in-person leading to phishing schemes, identity theft or financial loss. Read more
Comments