Did my CPA just scam me or am I being paranoid about my tax preparer?

While I can't say for certain if you were scammed, I'd say these are definitely concerning signs but not necessarily proof of fraud. Let me address your concerns one by one. The communication issues are unfortunately common during tax season but still unprofessional. Good CPAs get extremely busy but should have systems to manage client communication better. Regarding the missing deductions, without knowing specifics, some deductions genuinely might not apply to your situation even if you think they should. Tax law is complex and has many limitations and phaseouts. The business expense categorization could be concerning or could be legitimate professional judgment. CPAs sometimes categorize expenses differently than clients expect because they understand how the IRS evaluates different expense types. The spam increase is concerning but could be coincidental. If you're worried about identity theft, consider placing a fraud alert with credit bureaus and monitor your accounts closely. What I'd recommend: Request a meeting specifically to go through these concerns. Ask for explanations about the deduction decisions and expense categorizations. A legitimate CPA should be able to clearly explain their reasoning.

After reading your post, I wanted to share my experience with a similar situation. I also had communication problems with my CPA last year and was getting increasingly frustrated until I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai). It's basically an AI tool that analyzes tax documents and identifies potential issues or missed deductions - it found over $2,300 in deductions my CPA missed! I uploaded my draft tax return and documentation, and it highlighted several concerns including miscategorized business expenses similar to what you mentioned. The analysis gave me specific questions to ask my CPA, which forced them to actually explain their decisions rather than dismissing me. The tool basically translates complex tax stuff into plain English and gives you the confidence to know if your CPA is making mistakes or actually doing things correctly.

I was in the same boat as you last year! I was suspicious of my CPA for many of the same reasons - poor communication, vague answers about deductions, and just a general feeling something was off. I tried the taxr.ai site mentioned in another comment out of desperation, and it actually flagged several issues with how my CPA had prepared my return. I was shocked when it identified that my home office deduction was calculated incorrectly and I was missing legitimate business travel deductions. When I confronted my CPA with the specific tax codes and examples from the analysis, suddenly they were much more helpful and fixed everything. Turned out my CPA wasn't scamming me, just cutting corners during busy season. The analysis gave me the knowledge to hold them accountable. Definitely worth checking your return for potential issues!

If you're really concerned about this CPA and thinking they might be illegitimate, you should try calling the IRS directly to check if they're registered properly or if there have been complaints. BUT... good luck actually getting through to someone at the IRS! I spent literally WEEKS trying to get an IRS agent on the phone about a similar situation last year. Kept getting disconnected or stuck on hold forever. Then I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which is basically a call-back service for the IRS. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c They got me connected to an actual IRS agent within a couple hours when I'd been trying for weeks. The agent was able to confirm my CPA was legitimate and also explained what documentation I should have received if everything was above board. Really helped clear things up and gave me peace of mind.

I can't believe I'm writing this, but I owe everyone here an apology, especially about that Claimyr service I was so skeptical about. After posting my doubts, I was still desperate to talk to the IRS about a potential fraud situation similar to the original poster's, so I figured I'd try it anyway. I was absolutely shocked when they actually got me through to an IRS representative in about 45 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. The IRS agent confirmed that there had been several complaints about a CPA office in my area (not saying it's the same as OP's), and they were able to help me verify that my tax preparer's PTIN (Preparer Tax Identification Number) was legitimate. This saved me so much stress and potentially thousands of dollars. Sometimes being proven wrong is actually the best outcome. If you're suspicious about your CPA's legitimacy, definitely worth checking directly with the IRS.

Honestly, I think what you're describing is just standard bad customer service rather than a scam. I've had similar experiences with accountants who are just overworked and understaffed during tax season. They take on too many clients and quality suffers. The real red flags for CPA scams are things like: - Promising specific refund amounts before reviewing your documents - Asking you to sign blank tax forms - Refusing to provide copies of filed returns - Suggesting obviously illegal deductions - Having your refund sent to their account first If none of these happened, you probably just got a mediocre CPA, not a scammer. Still worth finding someone better next year though!

Has anyone actually verified if a CPA is legit by checking their credentials? How do you even do that? My brother says he uses someone he found on Craigslist who's way cheaper than H&R Block but now I'm worried.

I had something similar happen but it turned out I was just being paranoid. My CPA was just really disorganized and bad at communication, not actually scamming me. I think the profession attracts people who are better with numbers than with people lol. That said, trust your gut. If something feels off, get a second opinion from another tax professional. Bring your return to them and ask them to review it for accuracy. It'll cost a bit more money but give you peace of mind. And there's still time to file an amended return if they did mess anything up!

I completely understand your concerns - those communication issues alone would make me uncomfortable, regardless of whether it's an actual scam. Poor communication from a professional handling your sensitive financial information is never acceptable, busy season or not. Here's what I'd suggest doing immediately: First, request copies of all documents they used to prepare your return and a detailed explanation of their work. Any legitimate CPA should provide this without hesitation. Second, consider having another tax professional review your return - many will do a quick review for a reasonable fee to spot obvious errors or missed opportunities. Regarding the spam increase, while it could be coincidental, it's worth monitoring your credit reports closely. You can get free reports from annualcreditreport.com to check for any suspicious activity. The fact that they dismissed your questions about deductions without proper explanation is particularly concerning. A good CPA should educate their clients, not brush them off. Even if those deductions truly didn't apply, they owe you a clear explanation of why. Moving forward, I'd recommend finding a new tax preparer for next year. Look for someone who offers transparent communication, provides detailed explanations, and comes with strong references from people whose tax situations are similar to yours.

I went through something very similar last year and want to share what I learned. The communication issues you're describing are unfortunately common but definitely not acceptable - a professional CPA should have systems in place to manage client communication even during busy season. What really helped me was documenting everything. I started keeping a log of every email sent, phone call made, and response (or lack thereof) received. This gave me a clear picture of the communication breakdown and also served as evidence when I eventually had to escalate the situation. For the deduction issues, I'd strongly recommend getting a second set of eyes on your return. I paid another CPA $150 to review my completed return, and they found two legitimate deductions my original preparer had missed, plus confirmed that several categorizations were questionable. The review fee was worth it for the peace of mind alone. The spam increase is concerning - while it could be coincidental timing with tax season, it's worth placing fraud alerts on your credit reports just to be safe. I did this as a precaution and it only takes a few minutes online. Moving forward, I'd suggest requesting a detailed meeting to go over every decision they made on your return. If they can't or won't provide clear explanations, that's your answer about whether to continue working with them. A legitimate CPA should welcome the opportunity to educate their clients about tax decisions.