Thanks to Paul Caron at TaxProf and Jim Maule at Mauled Again, more people are becoming aware of the "phishing" scams that appear to be emails from the IRS informing the recipient that a tax refund awaits. If you get such an email, do not be fooled--the IRS does not send out emails to notify unsuspecting recipients that they have a refund. The phisher hopes the recipient will respond with information that the phisher can use. There is, of course, no real refund awaiting the recipient's action.
If you receive such an email, let the IRS know so that it can track down the culprits. And pass along the information below on the scams to friends, neighbors and countrymen and women, so that the phishers will find no takers!
- Paul Caron shows a copy of the official-looking phishing notice he received, at this link.
- Jim Maule has a good description of the scam and the right response to it, at this link.
- If you receive an IRS phishing notice, you can report it to the IRS by
- forwarding the phishing message to [email protected]
- calling, toll-free, TIGTA (Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration) at 1-800-366-4484.
- You can also notify the Federal Trade Commission by
- email at [email protected] or
- phone at 1-877-438-4338.
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