Michiganders with past-due tax debts may receive a letter demanding payment. However, the Michigan Department of Treasury says these are fake.
Ron Leix, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Treasury, said the best way to avoid being defrauded is to contact the treasury office upon receiving a suspicious letter.
“We can talk to the taxpayer about the scam, log it and talk about options about how they can resolve their outstanding state debts and provide payment options,” Leix said. “So be vigilant, be aware and you’ll be safe.”
Leix said taxpayers have rights and must remain vigilant by checking the information on the letter they receive against governmental websites.
Official Correspondence regarding tax debts will be on the Michigan letterhead featuring the name of the governor and state treasurer.
According to Leix, the fraudulent letter will have apparent errors.
“These letters are, if you look at them, they are very fake,” Leix said. “They’re coming from no-name organizations, or they try to insinuate that they are from a government organization, but it’ll be something like the Tax Department or the Tax Agency and it may not even be in Michigan.”
Leix said another sign of a fake letter is the presence of an “800” number and threatening language.
“We don’t have a generalized 800 number, that taxpayers can call to sort out their collections issues,” Leix said. “And when they get this letter, it has this 800 number. So, a taxpayer will get this phony piece of correspondence, they will review it, they will see the threats, they will see the amounts because the amount that is in the letter is typically the amount they owe.
“So, they will go through and call this 800 number and start speaking to someone and it is not treasury. It’s actually a fraudster trying to take advantage of their situation. ”
If you have received a letter that appears to be fake, you can contact the Michigan Department of Treasury at (517) 636-5265 or online at Michigan.gov/treasury.
