Now that summer is here and the weather is hot, it’s time to head out onto the open water and do some fishing!!

Unfortunately, you are not the only one that amps up the fishing this time of yea. The MN department of revenue warns individuals that scammers are actively trying to obtain your information through their own means of Phishing.  Beware of suspicious emails or phone calls where the content is “Phishing” for information and “hooking” victims. Use cation when responding to emails or calls and NEVER provide personal information unless you are sure the situation is legitimate.

A few other things to keep in mind when you are contacted by someone claiming to be with the MN Department of Revenue, they will never:

• Demand immediate payment without first mailing a letter.
• Demand that you pay taxes and not allow you to question or appeal the amount you owe.
• Require that you pay your taxes a certain way. For instance, require that you pay with a prepaid debit card.
• Threaten to call the police or other law enforcement agencies to arrest you for failure to pay.

There are similar scams taking place surrounding the Internal Revenue Service.

Here are the tell-tale signs that you are dealing with a scammer, the IRS (and its authorized private collection agencies) will never:

• Call to demand an immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. The IRS does not use these methods for tax payments. Generally, the IRS will first mail a bill to any taxpayer who owes taxes. All tax payments should only be made payable to the U.S. Treasury and checks should never be made payable to third parties.
• Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have the taxpayer arrested for not paying.
• Ask for credit or debit numbers over the phone.  

We hope you have found this information useful. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you ever find yourself, or someone you know, in a situation where you think someone may be trying to unlawfully gather information or payment from you.