What is California doing about illegal tax preparers and tax scams? Quite a bit, actually. 

California is one of the few states to have set requirements for paid tax preparers. By law, anyone who prepares your tax return must be either an attorney, CPA, enrolled agent or a registered tax preparer with the California Tax Education Council (CTEC). 

CTEC partners with the Franchise Tax Board to go after tax preparers who are not one of those four professionals. 

CTEC Chair, Brandon Chanley, chats with Rebecca Landeros of the Franchise Tax Board's Tax Preparer Enforcement Team - she's the one who goes out and actually pays visits to questionable tax preparers throughout California.

Hear what state is doing to stop fraud and Rebecca's advice to taxpayers.

You can also find more tips on CTEC.org with links on how to find and verify a legal tax preparer.