Tax season can be a dangerous time for scams.

Area police agencies recently told reporter Julie Riddle that scams are bad and getting this worse this tax season.

About eight people a day are reporting scams to the Michigan State Police-Alpena Post, Trooper Michael Oliver told Riddle.

It’s important to be vigilant.

Never give out personal information over the phone to someone who calls you.

Legitimate agencies will never ask for payment through prepaid gift cards.

If you ever have a concern that a call is a scam, hang up, look up the phone number to the agency yourself, and call them directly.

If you think you’re the victim of a scam, call the police.

With a little extra precaution, we can protect ourselves from scams.

(THE ALPENA NEWS)