State tax office says beware of scams

(APRIL 1, 2019) It's tax season. Both federal and state taxes for 2018 are due in April. It's a good reminder to be aware of scammers.

What is a scammer? A scammer is a dishonest person. They try to trick you to give them personal information or money. The trick is called a scam.

Scams mainly come in the form of a phone call, email, or standard mail. The Oregon Department of Revenue wants to help you stay safe. It has some tips to help you identify scam attempts.

Scammers make unsolicited calls. "Unsolicited" means not requested. Thieves call you claiming to be representatives of the Oregon Department of Revenue or other tax officials. They demand that you pay a fake tax bill. They usually say it must happen right away. However, the Oregon Department of Revenue never does this. You should hang up and call the Department of Revenue. Then you will speak with an actual government employee.

Scammers send letters. Letters often contain real logos, addresses, and phone numbers to fool you. Sometimes, you know they are fake because they look unusual. For example, they might have bad pictures or spelling errors. They have a fake tax bill; sometimes they say there is a problem with your account. However, letters from the Department of Revenue will have information that can be checked with its website. Also, every letter is printed with an identification number in the upper right corner.

Scammers use fake websites. Some scams may try to send you to fake websites. These websites can look very real. However, remember that the Oregon Department of Revenue’s web address will always begin with an “https://” designation and be from the “.gov” extension.

You can visit https://www.oregon.gov/dor/Pages/index.aspx to get forms, check the status of your refund, or make payments. You can call (503) 378-4988 or (800) 356-4222 (toll-free) or email questions.dor@oregon.gov for additional assistance.