Email Phishing Scam Warning From IRS
| February 27, 2013 | E-File Tax Extension, Easy tax extensions, IRS bogus emails, IRS Warns of Phishing Email Scam, phishing scam, protect yourself, Tax Extensions online | No Comments
Beware of Bogus IRS Emails
The IRS receives thousands of reports every year from taxpayers who receive emails out-of-the-blue claiming to be from the IRS. Scammers use the IRS name or logo to make the message appear authentic so you will respond to it. In reality, it’s a scam known as “phishing,” attempting to trick you into revealing your personal and financial information. The criminals then use this information to commit identity theft or steal your money.
The IRS has this advice for anyone who receives an email claiming to be from the IRS or directing you to an IRS site:
- Do not reply to the message;
- Do not open any attachments. Attachments may contain malicious code that will infect your computer; and
- Do not click on any links in a suspicious email or phishing website and do not enter confidential information. Visit the IRS website and click on ‘Identity Theft’ at the bottom of the page for more information.
Here are five other key points the IRS wants you to know about phishing scams.
- The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email or social media channels to request personal or financial information;
- The IRS never asks for detailed personal and financial information like PIN numbers, passwords or similar secret access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts;
- The address of the official IRS website is www.irs.gov. Do not be misled by sites claiming to be the IRS but ending in .com, .net, .org or anything other than .gov. If you discover a website that claims to be the IRS but you suspect it is bogus, do not provide any personal information on their site and report it to the IRS;
- If you receive a phone call, fax or letter in the mail from an individual claiming to be from the IRS but you suspect they are not an IRS employee, contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to determine if the IRS has a legitimate need to contact you. Report any bogus correspondence. Forward a suspicious email to [email protected];
- You can help the IRS and other law enforcement agencies shut down these schemes. Visit the IRS.gov website to get details on how to report scams and helpful resources if you are the victim of a scam. Click on “Reporting Phishing” at the bottom of the page.
ExpressExtension is an authorized IRS E-File provider and while we do not give tax advice, we do want to make our customers aware of situations that may affect you during tax season. Please contact a tax professional for tax advice and questions pertaining to tax laws.
If you have any questions about filing Tax Extensions, you can contact the Express Tax Support Center in Rock Hill, SC at 803-514-5155 between the hours of 8am – 6pm EST, Monday through Friday or email [email protected].
