Watch out for Tax Collection Scams
Don’t be fooled by scammers pretending to be tax collectors for the State of New Jersey. You should know that New Jersey relies primarily on the mail to make the first contact with individuals about unpaid taxes. In most cases, the tax collection process will escalate only if you do not respond appropriately to mailed notices. If you have not received a notice in the mail and someone calls or emails you saying you owe New Jersey taxes, there’s a good chance that a scammer has targeted you. You should be suspicious of anyone who contacts you who:
- Demands immediate payment for tax debt;
- Threatens you with police action;
- Demands a specific payment method – especially prepaid debit cards.
You can confirm the Division is trying to contact you by calling the main Customer Service Center phone number 609-292-6400, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. (10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays). Never give out or confirm financial or other sensitive information, including your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number, unless you know with whom you are dealing. See IRS Tax Scams for more information.
- Phone scams can involve a caller who claims to be a New Jersey tax official.
- Callers can falsify information to your caller ID, called cloning or spoofing, to hide their identity and trick you into giving away personal information;
- Perpetrators also have been known to impersonate police officers who demand payment to satisfy a debt. If you are not sure the person on the other end of the line is a Division of Taxation employee or a collection agency representative, hang up;
- If you do get a call from a collection agency about New Jersey taxes, you can call our contracted agency, Pioneer Credit Recovery, at 1-866-372-6840 to confirm that the call was legitimate;
- There are times when a Division employee will contact a taxpayer regarding tax payment via telephone. We mail written notification before the call, which can be verified by an agent in our Customer Service Center at 609-292-6400;
- We will never call you from our Customer Service Center number 609-292-6400. An incoming call from this number is most definitely a scam attempt.
Note: Because unencrypted email is not secure, the Division of Taxation will never address specific tax matters via traditional email.
In addition, be aware of phishing, which occurs when someone sends you an email requesting personal information such as: :
- Social Security number;
- User name;
- Password;
- Credit card or bank account information.
Phishing emails may use the Division’s logo and phone numbers. In addition to requesting personal information, an email may direct you to a fake website that looks like ours and asks you to enter your personal information. Once your information is entered, it can be used to steal your identity.
Report phishing e-mail messages to the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT)
Protect your personal information by practicing the following:
- Do not click on a link in a suspicious email;
- Be suspicious of any communication that appears to come from a business, school, IRS, Division of Taxation, or any other government entity that asks for identity, login, or tax information;
- Understand how the institutions and businesses you deal with want to interact with you. “Phishing” e-mails stand out because they do not follow the usual rules;
- Practice safe browsing. Open a new browser window each time you log on to a web site that displays personal information. When you are done at that site, log out and close that browser window.
Although it is common for us to contact you through the mail, if you receive a letter that claims to be from us requesting personal information, it may be a scam. View our list of mailing addresses to determine if the notice you received is legitimate. Contact us if it seems suspicious.
Last Updated: Friday, 04/27/18
