From threatening phone calls to suspicious emails, thieves posing as IRS employees are after your money. In this Money Matters report, Time Warner Cable News’ Tara Lynn Wagner explains what to do if they target you.

According to the IRS, the average tax refund this year is about $3,000. Unfortunately, there are plenty of scammers who'd like to get their hands on that cash.  One way they do it is by phone. IRS Spokesperson Patricia Svarnas says the caller usually claims to be an employee of the IRS, says you owe a lot of money and insists you pay right now.

"The person on the phone is aggressive, they’re threatening, they might tell you that you’re getting audited, you might be arrested," says Svarnas.

She says threatening phone calls is not how the IRS does business.  In fact, they never make initial contact by phone. They always send a letter first. That is an actual letter in the mail, not an email - which is another way scammers try to steal your money.

"We call it phishing when someone sends you an e-mail or links to a website that is actually not us but looks very sophisticated, it looks like it might be irs.gov,” Svarnas explains. “You don’t want to open those emails. We don’t send you e-mail unless it’s a follow up to something that we previously discussed with you."

Anonymous thieves are not the only ones after your refund. Unfortunately, some so-called tax preparers are taking advantage of their clients.

"They’ll offer you a bigger refund, they’ll tell you that you’re eligible for benefits and credits you might not be entitled to, they’ll tell you don’t have to include certain income on your return - those are all red flags," says Svarnas.

"Never sign a tax form in pencil, one that's not filled out, and also make sure that the preparer does not offer to take a percentage of your refund. That is not legal," says NYC Consumer Affairs Commissioner Julie Menin.

So how do you find a preparer you can trust?  For one thing, ask for references.

"You can talk to other clients that they represented, really making sure this is not a fly by night tax preparer who is there today and gone tomorrow," says Menin.

"You really want to choose a preparer in the same way that you would choose an attorney or a physician,” says Svarnas. ”You’re handing over all of your financial information to this person and that means that you need to trust that they’re doing the best for you and that they’re also not trying to scam you."

The IRS has an online directory to help you find a qualified preparer. For that, and information about what to do if you get a call or email from someone claiming to be the IRS, visit IRS.gov.