Page 6 - Sentinel March 2018

ALEXA Continued from page 5 es), then notify your bank so they can return the money. Finally,
if you’ve already spent part or all the refund, you will need to
• Property value and taxes ...“Alexa, ask Douglas County, write a check to repay the IRS. Send your check to your local
how do I pay my property tax?” IRS service center, along with a note explaining you were a
• County services ...“Alexa, ask Douglas County, how do I reg- victim of this scam. Make certain you have the correct IRS
ister to vote?”
return address. Your tax preparer will have this information and
should be able to guide you through these steps. For more in-
For more information, please visit the Douglas County skill on formation on this scam, contact the IRS at: https://www.irs.
Amazon.com.
gov/newsroom/tax-scams-consumer-alerts.
WARNING: NEW IRS REFUND SCAM 18th Judicial Consumer Protection Line: 720-874-8547
IS GAINING TRACTION
From the District Attorneyʼs Office WALT’S WORDS
18th Judicial District...
Walt Korinke...
There is a new IRS scam that’s spreading and is playing off
USPS raised their
the more widely known tax imposter phone scam that claims
postal rates effec-
money is owed to the IRS. This newly hatched, very intricate
tive Jan 21st. A first
scam involves criminals who are processing and sending tax
class stamp now
refunds directly to consumers and then calling and scaring them
costs $.50.
into returning the funds.
PERRY PARK – Lots of interest in how the county develops
Prior to late January when the IRS began accepting 2017 tax
the Sandstone Ranch this year along with a watchful eye on
returns, criminals brazenly hacked the computers of tax prepar-
the Wiens plans for about a 100 residential units planned for the
ers and stole tax information on clients. Now they are using
northern corner of the ranch.
this data to process actual tax refunds. Once the refunds are
sent, the crooks will call, text, or leave phone messages claim-
In Perry Park Ranch, 2017
ing to be agents or debt collectors from the IRS, and threatening
was a banner year for real
victims with scare tactics if they don’t send their ‘fraudulent’
estate sales totaling a record
refunds back.
$39,060,975, which was
$5.8 million greater than
There are obvious red flags with this scam, the most notable be-
2016. A total of 58 homes
ing that crooks are demanding payment using a wire service or
and 10 condos were sold and
are instructing their victims to load a pre-paid card with money,
16 new homes were com-
then calling in a code, instead of instructing them to send the re-
pleted and occupied. At year end, 22 new homes were under
fund directly to the IRS. This tactic of requesting funds through
various stages of construction, and buildable lots (streets and
round-about means is the hallmark of a typical phone scam.
utilities) are rapidly disappearing.
The second red flag is that the IRS won’t call you, even if you
owe them. If your caller ID shows up as IRS or U.S. Depart-
LARKSPUR – The voters approved the parcel transfer to the
ment of Treasury, it’s a scam, and don’t respond. Although the
developer of the Larkspur
IRS won’t call you, crooks will try to make it look that way by
Travel Center, permitting
“spoofing” the information that appears on your Caller ID.
the development of three
fast food restaurants on
Steps to take if you are concerned, or have already received a
the additional parcel. A
refund:
late offer to purchase the
• Immediately contact your tax preparer if he/she has not noti-
parcel was made by the
fied you of this scam, especially if you’ve already received a
Renaissance group but
refund, or a refund you weren’t expecting. Usual turnaround
was rejected by the Town Council. Ground work continues at
time on a refund request is ten days, so any quick return of a
a moderate pace awaiting all the final build approvals. Sonic
refund should be questioned.
Restaurant was in consideration – they are a typical small-town
• In truth, fraudulent refunds must immediately be sent back
operator in the Midwest and one of my favorites.
to the IRS so they can take measures to correct and restore the
client’s account to good standing, then process an appropriate
The Town of Larkspur has an updated 2017 draft of the 30-
refund. If you received a mailed refund check, void it and send
year old MASTER PLAN posted on its web site which takes
it back to the IRS, along with a copy of the return and expla-
a forward look at the 187 residents’ desires for the direction
nation as to why the check is being returned. If the check was
of their town. The Town Council has taken into consideration
automatically deposited, call the IRS to explain what happened
(800-829-1040 for individuals or 800-829-4933 for business- Continued on page 7
Page 6 - March 2018 Perry Park Sentinel