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Suspicious E-Mails and Identity Theft
The Internal Revenue Service has issued several recent
consumer warnings on the fraudulent use of the IRS name or logo by scamsters
trying to gain access to consumers' financial information in order to steal
their identity and assets. When identity theft takes place over the Internet, it
is called phishing.
Don't be Scammed by Fake IRS Communications - Suspicious e-Mail/Phishing
Phishing (as in "fishing for information" and "hooking" victims) is a scam where Internet fraudsters send e-mail messages to trick unsuspecting victims into revealing personal and financial information that can be used to steal the victims' identity. Current scams include phony e-mails which claim to come from the IRS and which lure the victims into the scam by telling them that they are due a tax refund.
The fake emails may include any phony message. In the past, one looked something like this: "Your reported 2013 income
is flagged for review due to a document processing error. Your case has been
forwarded to the Taxpayer Advocate Service for resolution assistance. To avoid
delays processing your 2013 filing contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service for
resolution assistance."
Recipients are directed to click on links that supposedly provide information
about the "advocate" assigned to their case or that let them "review reported
income." The links lead to web pages that solicit personal information
- DO NOT ENTER YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION. If in doubt, visit
WWW.IRS.GOV yourself.
Taxpayers who get these phony messages should not respond to the email or click on
the links. Instead, they should forward the scam emails to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.
For more information, visit the IRS's
Report Phishing web page.
To
continue reading more information from the IRS website, click here.