Beware of Tax Scams

Around tax time, you’ll probably get letters offering to reduce your taxes for a percentage of the reduction. Many legitimate companies offer this service. Typically, they’ll charge 30–50 percent of the savings. If you don’t have time to protest your tax bill yourself, this can be a better way than not at all. As usual, talk to three companies and get bids and references.
However, beware of scammers who charge a fee up front and promise to lower your taxes or get you a rebate. No one can predict if and what you can save without going through the system. Always be suspicious is there’s an up-front fee involved.