BOISE, Idaho (KLIX) – Gem State residents, beware: a new tax scam is targeting Idahoans, according to a consumer alert issued on Monday by Attorney General Lawrence Wasden and the Idaho State Tax Commission.

Wasden and Tax Commission said in a news release on Monday that alert comes after a Nampa woman contacted the Office of the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division to verify the legitimacy of a document she’d received in the mail. The mailer was not legitimate, as it falsely claimed the woman owed more than $15,000 in state income taxes, according to the news release.

The mailer was labeled as a “Notice of Default Pending Execution” and included two seals – though not official state seals – at the top. The scammers included a working telephone number in order to continue the fraud attempt via phone. The mailer included a false return address of “Tax Processing Center, Branch 12 B” in Nampa. It was dated December 6, 2018 and was created to appear as though it originated at the “Canyon County Court House” in the “Office of Repossessions.”

The consumer alert is the second from Wasden’s office in the past several days, the previous one being about an uptick in the number of so-called imposter scams targeting Idahoans.

Wasden said in the news release on Monday:

“All scams pose a threat to those they target. But this one is particularly concerning because of how official the mailing looks. No matter how official a document appears, consumers should always initiate contact with proper authorities to double check. In this day and age, you just can’t be too careful.”

Idahoans can check the status of their state taxes with the State Tax Commission by calling 1-800-972-7660.

Source: Office of Attorney General Lawrence Wasden

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