BBB: Be Careful When Choosing a Tax Preparer

With tax season upon us, it is certainly tempting to hire someone to prepare your tax return. And, in many cases, hiring an expert can save you a lot of time and money.

Since you are legally responsible for your tax return, whether or not it is prepared by someone else, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Mississippi offers the following guidelines when selecting a tax preparer:

• Be skeptical of any preparer claiming to be able to get you a larger refund than others. Every legitimate preparer should have fairly similar tax results.
• Beware if the preparer bases tax preparation fees on the percentage of the amount of your refund. This is not allowed under IRS regulations.

“Choose a preparer to whom you will have easy access,” suggests Bill Moak, President/CEO of the BBB Mississippi. “If the firm delegates your work to someone with less training – or to an unknown worker – take your business elsewhere. Also, make sure that the preparer will not be sending your return to a foreign country for processing since the appropriate security and privacy laws may not exist outside of the U.S. This could mean that you may forfeit your recourse rights should your information be compromised out of the country.”

The IRS offers these additional tips:

• Be sure that your preparer signs the return and fills in his appropriate information
• Never sign a blank return
• Never sign a return in pencil

The BBB of Mississippi suggests that you check a preparer’s record with them before you hire anyone. This can be done online at www.ms.bbb.org or by calling the Automated Response Line (800-987-8280)

Mystery Shopper Scam Leaves Consumers Strapped for Cash This Holiday Season

After all the shopping is done for this holiday season, consumers may find themselves in a strap for cash. Schemers are very aware of the draw-in of “easy” money. A “Secret Shopper” scam using the company name Master Research claims a Maryland address and is swindling consumers across the country out of their savings. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Mississippi urges consumers to be aware of work-at-home scams like Master Research.

Master Research posts help wanted ads in CraigsList.com, CareerBuilder.com, and newspapers seeking Customer Service Evaluators, Secret Shoppers, and temporary positions.

In the advertisements, no company name is given. Once a job-seeker speaks to a company representative, they are asked only for their name and address; victims report no company name is provided. Within a week, the candidate receives a package in the mail that explains they have been selected to participate in the Master Research program. In the package is a check for $2,990.00 for use in the “training process”.

The participants are advised to go to Wal-Mart and wire money to a person in Canada. They are instructed that as a participant, they get to keep $300.00 for their services. Thus far, consumers have reported losses as great as $7,990.00 as a result of cashing these fraudulent checks.

The checks are falsely issued under a real financial institution, Chesapeake Bank, but include a phony Baltimore, MD address and phone number. Upon calling the toll-free number, BBB discovered a bogus “collections” agency who acknowledged Master Research as a “credible client.” The BBB representative was asked if she needed to verify a check number.

A Chesapeake Bank representative in Baltimore, alerted BBB that the FBI has had an open investigation on Master Research since April, 2007.

The BBB offers these tips to help you avoid being swindled by fake check scams:

• Be suspicious of any check from an individual or business that you do not know.
• Independently verify that the check is drawn from an actual account at a legitimate financial institution.
  
• Do not rely on the telephone number listed on the check. Use directory assistance to get the telephone number of the financial institution and call them to verify the check.
• When a company claims to be a “Secret Shopper,” like Master Research, check with the Mystery Shopper Provider Association at http://www.mysteryshop.org/ to learn more about Mystery Shopping and to confirm the legitimacy of a company.
• Do not rely on the money until the funds have been finally collected by your financial institution. Funds 'available’ is not good enough.

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