Tax Scammers Target Unsuspecting Senior Citizens

By Joseph Ascenzi, The Press-Enterprise

April 13, 2009

With Tax Day coming Wednesday, senior citizens are being warned to look out for income tax scams aimed at them. 

Older people often have more money and can often be intimidated into parting with it, particularly if they believe they're dealing with someone from the Internal Revenue Service or law enforcement, said Sharon Ludwig, spokeswoman for Home Instead Senior Care in Riverside, Calif., which provides nonmedical care for seniors in their homes. 

The most common income tax scam aimed at senior citizens involves someone posing as an IRS agent who says that, for a fee, the person being scammed can receive a higher tax refund. 

After securing a "fee," the con artist requests financial information from the individual and then uses that information for identity theft. 

"That's one of the more common scams we come across this time of year, where they're actually able to get money twice," Ludwig said. 

"We're expecting to see more of these things this year because the economy is so bad. 

"People should look out for their elderly neighbors as much as they can and report anything that might be suspicious," Ludwig said. 

Tax scams aimed at all age groups happen this time of year, said Raphael Tulino of the IRS. 

"There's no question the elderly are vulnerable to this kind of thing, but I don't know if they're more vulnerable than anyone else," Tulino said. "Everyone needs to be aware of this. The best thing you can do is use common sense. If something seems to be too good to be true, then it probably is." 

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