Tax scams continue in Mid-Missouri

In a consumer alert, Mid-Missourian continue to be tax scam targets.

Thursday , ABC 17 News reported the Columbia Police Department received several calls about scams.

The State Attorney General’s office said it received around 200 complaints in May alone.

Friday , the IRS also issued a warning about criminals pretending to work for the agency demanding payment for a so-called “federal student tax.” Scammers also threaten to report potential victims to the police.

The Mid-Missouri Better Business Bureau said these scams aren’t necessarily new, but people should be aware they come in all different forms.

“There’s always some new spin on every scam,” said Sean Spence, Regional Director of the Mid-Missouri BBB. “Missouri is actually the top state in the country for IRS related scams. IRS related scams are the top kind of scam in the country. So we see an awful lot of them and we see every kind you can think of.”

The BBB also says the IRS will never try to contact you by email or phone, and the best way to avoid scammers is to simply ignore them.