by Heather Graf
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - It's warning you'll want to hear before you file your taxes. This year, someone is preying on customers of one of the country's largest tax preparers. So far, the con artists are having great success in Middle Tennessee.
Calls started coming into NewsChannel 5 on Friday morning, from residents who say they're out thousands of dollars.
"I have no idea how they got my account information at all," said Shay Edmonds of Madison, who is among the victims.
Edmonds said she's gotten her taxes done at H&R Block for eight years, and has never had any problems.
This year, she opted to get her return issued on an H&R Block Emerald Pre-paid Card. Just a few hours after receiving it, though, she got a text message that didn't quite make sense.
The text asked her to verify her account information. Edmonds said she never responded, but believes by that point, the damage was done.
"When I woke up this morning, almost $3,000 was gone from the card," she said. "I had planned on paying bills. I have children that I'm supporting on my own."
When Edmonds called H&R Block to report the missing money, she learned she wasn't alone.
"They said they call center was blowing up, that's what one woman told me," she said.
In a statement to NewsChannel 5, a spokesman for H&R Block said:
"We believe the text was sent by someone with a random list of cell phone numbers and we have no reason to believe our systems were unlawfully accessed. We're advising recipients not to respond to the text, not to call the number provided or to offer any personal information in response. H&R Block does not send urgent text messages asking clients to provide, update or confirm sensitive data."
It's a warning that comes too late for Edmonds. She says she's sharing her story to spare someone else from the headaches and financial struggles she's now experiencing.
"I went from having a little relief, to having nothing," she said. "The only thing we want to know is where is our money, and when are we getting it back."
The IRS says there are literally thousands of scams out there that target people during tax time.
To learn more, click here: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=98269,00.html.
Email: hgraf@newschannel5.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/NC5HeatherGraf
Twitter: Twitter.com/NC5_HeatherGraf
