Owe The IRS? Don't Trust TaxMasters!

[tropicsgoddess]

Have you ever seen the commercials for TaxMasters with the redheaded guy with a beard? The same guy telling you that if you owe the IRS he can get your payments down to next to nothing? Well, it turns out that his claims are all lies...the founder and CEO (the guy on the commercial), Patrick Cox was recently convicted for defrauding customers and ordered to pay up $195 million dollars.

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[crashhelmet]

There are 2 guarantees in this life. Death and Taxes

There are two groups you don't fuck with. The DMV and the IRS

You may think you've found a loop hole in getting out of your taxes or someone may tell you that they can get you out of your own taxes. Sooner or later, you'll get a letter in the mail and then a knock on your door. It's not something you want to experience.

Pay the government what you owe, file for your refund in the spring. Your life will be so much easier. You won't have to worry about audits and you won't have to worry about someone stealing your money.

[DGoddess]

Pay the government what you owe, file for your refund in the spring. Your life will be so much easier. You won't have to worry about audits and you won't have to worry about someone stealing your money.

Not necessarily.

This year I've been having deal with the IRS all because, even though I pay my taxes every year, file my returns every year (in February as soon as I have my W-2 in hand) and get my refund back, some moron somehow got hold of my name and SSN and filed a fake tax return.

So now I've sent in a bunch of paperwork including photocopies of my ID and SS card and now am waiting for yet another letter from the IRS and have been told it could be up to 90 days to straighten this mess out.

[HotelKatz]

Didn't in one of the Batman Comics, The Joker said that he was afraid to mess with the IRS?

[Mytical]

Joker inherited millions and millions (I think well over 100 million) from some mob boss. Turned out only about 10 million or so was real, the rest was fake (with the mob bosses' face on them). He had to pay the tax (which he didn't have obviously) or admit he had been hoodwinked by the dead mobboss, and I believe he said something to that effect (ie even he wouldn't mess with the IRS).

Anyhow, these penny on the dollar places are never to be trusted. *shrugs*

[bara]

I dont really pay attention to ads like that. But that guy looks a lot like a weasel to me.

But I have a buddy who works for the IRS and says youd be amazed what they will do to help people pay up in back taxes. He could be blowing smoke of course, no idea on that front. But it would make sense they if you are at least making an attempt to pay them they might be willing to work with you.

[lordlundar]

Didn't in one of the Batman Comics, The Joker said that he was afraid to mess with the IRS?

Cartoon actually.

[Tanasi]

Not necessarily.

This year I've been having deal with the IRS all because, even though I pay my taxes every year, file my returns every year (in February as soon as I have my W-2 in hand) and get my refund back, some moron somehow got hold of my name and SSN and filed a fake tax return.

So now I've sent in a bunch of paperwork including photocopies of my ID and SS card and now am waiting for yet another letter from the IRS and have been told it could be up to 90 days to straighten this mess out.

90 days if you're extremely lucky, you better bank on a year.

[HYHYBT]

Your story's got me a bit worried: if I remember rightly, the first warning was that the federal refund didn't come in before the state one did. I've never paid attention... but my state refund came in two weeks ago, and the federal one hasn't yet.

[Tanasi]

A few years ago due to an accounting error on my part I was due a refund. (I usually try to break even or owe a little.) I filed on April 15 and then waited and waited and waited. Contacted the local IRS office and they checked into and said the check had been cut and mailed in June. It was July of the next year before I received that money. The IRS agent said they had to wait a year for the check to become stale before they would reissue a new check.
It was a good thing I wasn't relying on that money.

[Silverharp]

What those places are offering is to file your paperwork for and Offer in compromise, in which you fill out a bunch of forms showing your income for the previous 90 days, and make an offer to the IRS on paying off your tax debt based on that total. Given how much you ow vs your current income, you could possibly pay "pennies in the dollar".
IF everything lines up. and even then you hae to be current on teh next 5 years returns and not own any money or it will default the offer.

[HYHYBT]

We're still chasing down a substantial refund Grandma was due from her 2009 return. The check never arrived; the replacement never arrived; now this week they've sent a letter saying they can't answer questions about it because they don't know either.