{"id":490,"date":"2019-02-08T14:24:26","date_gmt":"2019-02-08T19:24:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deluziocpa.com\/?p=490"},"modified":"2023-07-19T11:37:08","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T15:37:08","slug":"ghost_tax_preparers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deluziocpa.com\/ghost_tax_preparers\/","title":{"rendered":"IRS Warns of “Ghost Tax Preparers”"},"content":{"rendered":"

~ Author – Stacey Sanders, CPA, CSEP, Deluzio & Company, Partner~<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"WASHINGTON – Today, towards the end of the second full week of the 2019 tax filing season, the Internal Revenue Service warned taxpayers to avoid unethical tax return preparers, known as ghost preparers.<\/p>\n

By law, anyone who is paid to prepare or assist in preparing federal tax returns must have a valid 2019 Preparer Tax Identification Number, or PTIN. Paid preparers must sign the return and include their PTIN.<\/p>\n

But \u2018ghost\u2019 preparers do not sign the return. Instead, they print the return and tell the taxpayer to sign and mail it to the IRS. Or, for e-filed returns, they prepare but refuse to digitally sign it as the paid preparer.<\/p>\n

According to the IRS, similar to other tax preparation schemes, dishonest and unscrupulous ghost tax return preparers look to make a fast buck by promising a big refund or charging fees based on a percentage of the refund. These scammers hurt honest taxpayers who are simply trying to do the right thing and file a legitimate tax return.<\/p>\n

Ghost tax return preparers may also:<\/p>\n