Attorney General's Office & Department of Revenue Warn of Tax Scam

Print PDF

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

PIERRE, S.D. - The South Dakota Department of Revenue is warning the public to be on guard against a scam in which individuals are being asked to pay money to address a penalty for property tax or income tax due.

In recent days, the Department has been notified by several people who received an email with a subject line of "Payment notification" and a claim number. The email is demanding payment for a penalty for tax due. In some instances, the email indicated the penalty was for income tax. Others indicate property tax is the subject of the penalty.

Department of Revenue Secretary Andy Gerlach cautions all taxpayers to be careful. "While the scammers are using the name of the South Dakota Department of Revenue, the contact name and phone number provided in the email are not for the department," Gerlach said. "It is possible if an individual calls the number provided, it will lead to an answering machine or be routed to a remote location." Gerlach reminds the public that:

• South Dakota does not collect a state income tax.
• Property taxes are collected at the county level by the county treasurer and not by the Department of Revenue.

To verify the validity of any notification received from the Department of Revenue, please contact the department at (800) 829-9188. If you have been contacted as part of the current tax scam or any scam, you are advised to report the scam to the South Dakota Attorney General's Consumer Protection Unit at 1-800-300-1986 or consumerhelp@state.sd.us