Seniors Defrauded by Income Tax Scam
A company allegedly offered to obtain refunds that turned out to be fraudulent. Photo courtesy Images_of_Money at flickr.com/59937401@N07/The attorney general’s office says hundreds of seniors in east Texas were scammed by a company called Syam Tax Services.
Spokesman Jerry Strickland said the company sought out elderly Texans at churches and senior residences, told them they may be eligible for cash benefits, and fraudulently filed tax returns claiming refunds in their name, which the IRS demanded its victims repay.
“Because of these circumstances we wanted to get the information out there as quickly as possible to tell people: If it seems to good to be true, if somebody is offering you free money based on some sort of stimulus package, some sort of tax return, if it sounds too good to be true it’s probably too good to be legal, and they need to stop immediately specially as we get closer to tax filing time,” Strickland said.
The investigation into Syam is in progress.
