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HARRISBURG -- The state Department of Revenue continues to warn Pennsylvanian businesses of a new scam in which fraudsters are sending phony letters to business owners to try to trick them into turning over their accounting records.
The fraudulent letters include the Department of Revenue's name and logo, leading the recipients of the letter to believe that they are under investigation for failing to pay Pennsylvania taxes.
"This is another example of the fact that fraudsters are working every day on scams just like this one so that they can steal from hardworking Pennsylvanians," Revenue Secretary Dan Hassell said. "We want to do everything that we can to help educate the public so that they know how to identify scams like this one and take the appropriate steps to protect themselves."
The goal of the scam is to make the recipient of the letter believe they are being investigated by the Department of Revenue for an "alleged violation of delinquent sales tax liability." The letter threatens taxpayers by saying penalties will be imposed on their accounts.
Further, the letter includes contact information for a "Resolution Officer" and urges the business owner to provide accounting records prepared by a licensed professional, such as an attorney or CPA.
Providing this information allows the scammers to comb through the accounting records for sensitive information such as bank account numbers and other financial data, which could be used to make unauthorized transactions, request fraudulent tax refunds and even apply for loans under the name of the business.
The notices include suspicious and inaccurate details, typical of these sorts of fraudulent scams, that can help differentiate between a counterfeit notice sent by a scam artist and a legitimate notice sent by the Department of Revenue. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
• The counterfeit notice does not include a return address.
• The counterfeit notice addresses the recipient as "Dear Business Owner," rather than addressing the business owner or business name.
• The phony notice is generic and does not include any specific information about the taxpayer's account.
• The counterfeit notice is sent by the "Pennsylvania Department of Revenue Tax Investigation & Enforcement Unit" and claims the business is "under investigation by the Pennsylvania State Revenue and Cash Disbursement Unit," which are phony.
To avoid this scam, always ensure you are speaking with legitimate representatives of the department. If you have any doubt at all about the legitimacy of a notice from the department, you should reach out to a department representative by using the online customer service center, which allows the taxpayer to securely submit a question through a process that is very similar to sending an email.