Jackson woman feels scammed by American Tax Service - MSNewsNow.com - Jackson, MS

Jackson woman feels scammed by American Tax Service

Taxes can be tricky but one local woman says she was scammed when she went to file at American Tax Service.

"Maybe there's money out there that I can get more, not knowing how to do it myself, so I went to them, trusting them to get me what they could but the correct way," said customer April Carter.

After a month passed and she still had not seen her refund, she got suspicious. She requested to see her paperwork

"No paperwork when you first went to file your taxes,nothing. They just gave you a card telling you how much you'll get back," explained Carter.

She discovered they'd incorrectly marked her as self-employed and eligible for a school credits. She doesn't fit either description.

The manager here at American Tax Service didn't want to go on camera but tells us there is a reason for some of these delays with refunds. He said that the forms that involved earned income credit were showing up as blank when the IRS got them. But they had been filled out at all the locations. He says that those delayed requests are now being processed.

The Better Business Bureau warns that people must do their research before hiring a tax service. With all that's gone on recently in Washington, some people may be confused.

"It kind of opens the door for these people to be able to say, oh no that's all the great new stuff that's coming out of Washington. That's why you're getting this much back," said John O'Hara with the Better Business Bureau.

But if it sounds too good to be true, check it. don't walk away without copies of the paperwork.

"If you only got back a certain amount last year and nothing substantially changed in your life, your return shouldn't be double or triple what it was and I think that's the kind of stuff people have to be leery for," O'Hara said.