Income tax filing deadline looms: be aware of tax scams and frauds

WASHINGTON – Valley residents who are scrambling to get their federal and state income tax returns completed and filed before the recently extended deadline of April 17, might consider a few tips to avoid ever-increasing tax scams and frauds.

Here are a few tips suggested by recent surveys and information gathered by WalletHub, a personal finance website that offers free consumer tools and provides users with free credit reports.

First, fraudulent returns result in identity theft. With a few key pieces of personal information – such as someone’s name, Social Security number or address – scamme...