Disasters have ranged from the

Some gig workers receive 1099 forms from their employers while others don’t, but both must document their income and expenses so they can be added to their tax returns.Simpson recommends that first-time filers look into the multiple resources available to file taxes for free or at a low cost. One of the is the new

, which allows people in 25 states who have very simple W-2s to calculate and submit their returns directly to the IRS for free.Aside from Direct File, IRS offersthat does the math for you. This is available for people who make $79,000 or less per year. If you have questions while working on your tax forms, the IRS also offers an

tool that can provide answers based on your information.The AARP also offers a

where you can search for tax assistance near you.

Mistakes can happen to everybody, but deliberately ignoring income can have more consequences, Ringbauer said. In general, if you make a mistake our you’re missing something in your tax return, the IRS will audit you, which means they will ask you for more documentation.It happened to Tehseen Islam, a 28-year-old quality assurance analyst. She had been looking for a job for a few months when she finally got an offer from a well-known marketing technology company. Or at least she thought she did.

After a weeklong process that included an online form with interview screening questions, Islam was offered the job and received a check. She was asked to deposit it and send the company $1,000 to pay for shipment of equipment she’d need for the job.A few days later, her bank notified her that the check had bounced and, because it looked like she was cooperating with scammers, it was ending all banking relationships with her. That’s when she learned the job was a scam.

“I’m a little traumatized,” said Islam, who lost the $1,000 and unknowingly shared personal information with scammers.If you’re a job seeker, here are some recommendations from experts on how to avoid job scammers: