ALBANY, N.Y. — If you've gotten a letter recently demanding payment for an outstanding tax debt you don't owe, the New York State Tax Department wants you to know it's a scam.
The fake letters say the recipient has failed to respond to prior notices and threatens to have your license or passport revoked if you ignore it.
The return address on a letter that went to at least one person is:
Tax Processing Center, Internal Processing Service, Public Judgement Records
The scam letter demands full payment by a specific date and provides an 888 number to call to avoid having your personal property levied and sold.
"This is a common scam in which the recipient is threatened out of the blue with punitive action unless payment-in this case, $12,444 - is made immediately," said New York State Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Michael Schmidt. "In contrast, our department works with taxpayers who have existing dept, such as by establishing an installment payment agreement, to resolve the issue. We also work with all levels of law enforcement to bring the fraudsters who commit these types of crimes to justice."
A legitimate letter from the NYS Tax Department will include:
- Tax Department logo
- a complete return mailing address
- an option to respond online, by phone, or by mail
- the Tax Department website address
- a detailed explanation for why it was sent
- an explanation of your rights as a taxpayer
If you get one of these in the mail, contact the Tax Department at 518-451-1566 or at dtfoia@tax.ny.gov.
