Fraud - What IRS Looks for and How You Should Avoid It?

A former IRS Revenue Officer and Fraud Technical Advisor describes what indicators IRS employees look for as evidence of various tax crimes and how practitioners should be aware of those same indicators so they can get the problem fixed before IRS finds it, prevent the client from committing fraud in the first place or recognize when it is in their best interest to disengage if the client won’t cooperate.

Webinar Nov 20 2025, Thursday 01:00 PM EDT 60 Minutes Basic Level Code: GRC0000152

  • Tax crimes
  • Indicators of fraud 
  • Consequences

Anyone who needs to be aware of possible tax fraud by a client.

Your clients may not tell you everything. They may even lie to you. Or at least shade an issue is a way that is not going to pass muster in an audit. As a practitioner you need to be able to understand what IRS front line civil employees will look for as “badges of fraud” and make sure your client’s tax returns or other documents contain none of them.

What IRS employees look for before in a potential fraud case as a guide to practitioners to prevent clients from committing fraud?

MICHAEL CASH
MICHAEL CASH

Michael Cash, EA, was a Revenue Officer with the IRS for 35 years before retiring. For his last two years, he was one of 16 Revenue Officers nationwide who were fraud technical advisors whose specialty was to provide guidance to IRS collection employees in the development of fraud case referrals to IRS Criminal Investigation. Since retiring he has been an enrolled agent with a practice in Modesto, California representing clients with tax delinquency issues. He is a member of the National Association of Enrolled Agents and the California Society of Enrolled Agents and is secretary of the Big Valley Chapter of CSEA.

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