Washington ― The IRS today reminds tax professionals that they can earn continuing professional education credits online through seminars filmed at the 2013 IRS Nationwide Tax Forums. The 14 self-study seminars are now available on the IRS Nationwide Tax Forums Online (NTFO) site. Self-study seminars provide information to students using interactive videos, PowerPoint slides and transcripts.

The 2013 NTFO seminars cover many topics of interest to tax professionals including the following subjects:

• tax law updates,
• Treasury Circular No. 230 overview,
• child-related tax benefits,
• retirement plan loans and hardship distributions,
• and updates to the Form 706.

To earn CPE credit, users must create an account, answer review questions after viewing each chapter, and pass a short test at the end of the seminar. NTFO is registered with the IRS Return Preparer Office and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a qualified sponsor of continuing professional education (CPE). For a fee, Enrolled Agents and CPAs taking NTFO seminars can earn CPE credit.

NTFO seminars can also be audited for free. Users who choose to audit seminars will not have access to the review questions or final examination and will not receive credit for the seminar.

In addition to the recently-added seminars, NTFO offers many other seminars from prior-year IRS Nationwide Tax Forums from 2009 through 2012.

The IRS is warning the public about a phone scam that targets people across the nation, including recent immigrants. Callers claiming to be from the IRS tell intended victims they owe taxes and must pay using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. The scammers threaten those who refuse to pay with arrest, deportation or loss of a business or driver’s license.

The callers who commit this fraud often:

• Use common names and fake IRS badge numbers.
• Know the last four digits of the victim’s Social Security number.
• Make caller ID appear as if the IRS is calling.
• Send bogus IRS emails to support their scam.
• Call a second time claiming to be the police or DMV, and caller ID again supports their claim.

The truth is the IRS usually first contacts people by mail – not by phone – about unpaid taxes. And the IRS won’t ask for payment using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. The agency also won’t ask for a credit card number over the phone.

If you get a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS asking for a payment, here’s what to do:

• If you owe federal taxes, or think you might owe taxes, hang up and call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you with your payment questions.
• If you don’t owe taxes, call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.
• You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov. Add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments in your complaint.

Be alert for phone and email scams that use the IRS name. The IRS will never request personal or financial information by email, texting or any social media. You should forward scam emails to phishing@irs.gov. Don’t open any attachments or click on any links in those emails.

Read more about tax scams on the genuine IRS website, IRS.gov.

Additional IRS Resources:

• Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
• FTC Complaint Assistant
• Report Phishing
• Protect Yourself from the Dirty Dozen Tax Scams
  

IRS YouTube Video: