By Donna Gehrke-White, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Some hucksters are hitting church pews and other venues around the country, enticing people to send in false federal tax returns for cash back, the Internal Revenue Service warns.
People are led to believe they should file a return with the IRS for tax credits, refunds or rebates for which they are not really entitled, said IRS spokesman Michael Dobzinski.
The scam is still going on even though the April tax deadline has long passed, Dobzinksi said.
“We’ve seen fliers posted on church boards,” he said.
In some cases people are charged a fee ó with the hucksters vanishing with the money, the spokesman added. Sometimes the scam artists try to defraud Uncle Sam by seeking money back from the false filings: The tardy tax return reports money withheld that really wasn’t, Dobzinski said.
It is occurring throughout the country, including Florida with many cases seeming to come out of the central part of the state, Dobzinski said.
He issued the age-old warning: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
That includes offers of free money “with no documentation required,” the spokesman said.
They “have been appearing in community churches around the country,” he added. “Promoters are targeting church congregations, exploiting their good intentions and credibility. These schemes are often spread by word of mouth among unsuspecting and well-intentioned people tell their friends and relatives.”
He said he did not have the names of specific churches targeted.
Anyone with questions about a tax credit or program should visit www.IRS.gov, call the IRS toll-free number at 800-829-1040 or visit a local IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center.
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