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Aggressive Scammers Hitting on Delinquent Taxpayers

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As the dust begins to settle on the 2019 holiday season, and the flurry of bills for all of that revelry land in your mailbox, Grinch-like characters are emerging again to try to steal your money and/or identity.

The Michigan Department of Treasury has issued an scam alert to an especially aggressive campaign underway with fake collection letters and more.

Treasury is asking those Michigan taxpayers with past-due tax debts to especially be aware of the current aggressive scam that’s making the rounds through the U.S. Postal Service.

In the scheme, taxpayers receive what appears to be a government-looking letter about an overdue tax bill, asking individuals to immediately contact a toll-free number to resolve a state tax debt. The letter aggressively threatens to seize a taxpayer’s assets ― including property and Social Security benefits ― if the state tax debt is not settled.

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Ann Good, Deputy State Treasurer, cautions,“This is a tricky scam that’s been reported throughout the state over the past year.” Good, who oversees Treasury’s Financial and Administrative Services programs, adds, “Taxpayers have rights. If you have questions about an outstanding state tax debt, please contact us through a verified number so we can talk about options.”

The piece of correspondence appears credible to the taxpayer because it uses specific personal facts about their real outstanding tax debt that’s pulled directly from publicly available information. The scammer’s letter attempts to lure the taxpayer into a situation where they could make a payment to a criminal.

The state Treasury Department corresponds with taxpayers through official letters sent through the U.S. Postal Service, providing several options to resolve an outstanding debt and information outlining taxpayer rights.

Taxpayers who receive a letter from a scammer or have questions about their state debts should call Treasury’s Collections Service Center at 517-636-5265. A customer service representative can log the scam, verify outstanding state debts and provide flexible payment options.

To learn more about Michigan’s taxes and the collections process, you can click the link below,  or follow the state Treasury Department on Twitter at @MITreasury. Here’s the link:

http://www.michigan.gov/taxes