GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Michigan's Attorney General Dana Nessel is giving a warning about a new scam that is targeting small and medium sized businesses.
According to the AG's Office, scammers are contacting businesses pretending to be the IRS and instructing them to fill out "IRS Form 9710," claiming to be necessary for correcting an error related to their Employer Identification Number. In addition to the form, businesses are being asked to pay a fee and send them to a third-party service.
There is no such thing as "IRS Form 9710", and the AG's Office says the scam is aimed at stealing money and sensitive information. Nessel saying in a press release that businesses who receive the fake form should not fill it out, and throw it away.
"For a lot of businesses, if it sounds official and it comes from what looks like an official agency, they're more apt to believe it," said Troy Baker, Vice President of Communications for the Better Business Bureau, adding that it is not unusual for a fee to be attached to a real government document. "When it then asks you for money, that then seems reasonable to some people, so it's just built in such a way where it is convincing and it is working."
Baker says if people receive an email claiming to be from the IRS, they should first look at the email address to see if it was sent by an email ending in @IRS.gov, or if i was sent by an email that appears strange, or unfit to be from a government agency, which is big indicator of a scam.
"Pay attention to that, and not just the name attached to it, because that can often be faked," said Baker. When it comes in the mail and it's just a piece of paper, really take a look at what it's asking you to do and ask if you've ever had to do that before."
Baker adds if a business receives an email or letter they suspect could be a scam, to also speak with a tax accountant or those who do their taxes to look and see if the letter is fake.
"Have somebody you can talk to, somebody you can be honest with, to get a second opinion," said Baker.
The AG's office also highlights that the IRS will never:
- Demand immediate payment.
- Demand payment without any chance to appeal or dispute the amount due.
- Threaten to have a consumer arrested.
- Require payment in the form of a gift card, pre-paid debit card, or wire transfer.
- Call, text, or email a consumer and ask for their personal or financial information.
People can also contact the Better Business Bureau for assistance in dealing with potential scams.
Businesses that believe they have been a victim of an IRS scam can do the following:
- Access the IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting web page or call 800-366-4484.
- Report phone scams to the Federal Trade Commission and visit the FTC Report Fraud site.
- Report unsolicited emails claiming to be from the IRS or an IRS-related component like the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System.
- Report compromised emails to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
People can also contact the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Team at 517-335-7599.
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