What's the Deal With Those Tax Relief Services?
If you watch bad TV late at night you’ve seen these ads. They usually follow a pattern: The scene opens with a stressed-out ordinary taxpayer, a regular honest citizen like you or me. You can tell they’re stressed: hair is a mess, sitting at a kitchen table with a big stack of bills, busily not sleeping. Cue the scary music at the mention of the IRS, the faceless monster stalking their dreams, threatening their family. But wait… is that a soaring bald eagle? A waving American flag? It’s a tax relief company, here to fight for YOU! Can they help reduce, or perhaps even eliminate your debt to the IRS? Practically definitely! Calling the toll-free number on your screen would be downright patriotic. How could that decision possibly go wrong? The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) urges caution if you owe taxes and are approached by one of these companies. Here are some tactics these services often employ: Claiming...