The IRS is warning the public about “ghost preparers” ahead of filing taxes, where someone will prepare a return for a fee and leave the taxpayer with an inaccurate return before vanishing. IRS spokesperson Raphael Tulino says it’s important to find a reputable tax pro when getting ready to file.
“You want to choose wisely when you are choosing a tax professional, somebody who is going to take and do your return for you and avoid these folks we call ‘ghost preparers’ if you will because they may not be doing the most accurate return for you.”
Tulino says to ask questions when going through the process and advises to looking for a preparer, word of mouth is always the best way to go to avoid the ghost preparers.
“They have your fee, they are gone, they are not legitimate, and you are the one who has to deal with the ramifications of that inaccurate tax return. So you want to review your return before signing it, you want to ask questions if something is not clear.”
Tulino says if you think you’ve encountered a scammer trying to prep your taxes…
“If you have a complaint against a tax preparer there is a form for that on irs.gov to let them know about it.”
