Criminal Investigation and United States Attorney remind taxpayers of the tax filing deadline; urge and to remain vigilant of scams
The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the
Southern District of Illinois remind taxpayers of the July 15 filing and payment deadline and warn
against an increase in tax and COVID-19 scams.
Due to COVID-19, the original filing deadline and tax payment due date for 2019 was postponed from
April 15 to July 15. Taxpayers filing Form 1040 series returns must file Form 4868 by July 15 to
obtain the automatic extension to Oct. 15.
“Although the extension provides additional time to file the tax return – it is not an extension to
pay any taxes due”, said Adam Steiner, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal
Investigation division in the St. Louis Field Office. “For people facing hardships who cannot pay
in full, including those affected by COVID-19, the IRS has several options available to help. The
IRS encourages taxpayers to visit IRS.gov as soon as possible to explore these options and avoid
accruing interest and penalties after the July 15 deadline.”
As the filing deadline is today, taxpayers should beware of tax and COVID-19 related scams.
“Criminals use the tax filing deadline as an opportunity to steal personal and financial
information”, said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois.
“Taxpayers should remain vigilant and know that the IRS will not initiate contact with them via
phone, email or social media to request personal or financial information.”
In the last few months, the IRS Criminal Investigation division (CI) has continued to see
a tremendous increase in a variety of Economic Impact Payment scams and other
financial schemes. CI continues to work with its law enforcement partners to put a stop
to these schemes and bring criminals to justice.
Taxpayers can report COVID-19 scams to the National Center for Disaster Fraud. Taxpayers can also
report fraud or theft of their Economic Impact Payments to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax
Administration (TIGTA). Unsolicited (phishing) e- mails that appear to be from the IRS should be
forwarded to phishing@irs.gov.
For the most up-to-date information bout the tax filing deadline and IRS impersonation
scams, taxpayers can visit IRS.gov.