Bogus IRS Emails
The IRS
reports that fraudulent e-mails purporting to be from the IRS are still running
rampant. Here is what you need to know to protect yourself.
The
typical scam starts with an e-mail message, complete with IRS logo and official-looking
format, asking for information to fix a problem with your tax return. Scam
artists, who are no dummies when it comes to IRS rules and lingo, will try to
obtain your social security number, bank log-in information, or other personal
data. With these items, they might re-direct your refund to themselves, access
your bank account, or file a bogus tax return in your name and fraudulently
claim a refund. And spotting a fake IRS notice is not as easy as it sounds.
Scams such as these utilize sophisticated techniques and seemingly authentic
tax forms to steal from people of all levels of financial sophistication.
But for
all this trickery, protecting yourself is fairly simple. Don’t respond to any
unexpected IRS e-mail. Ever. IRS agents will never initiate taxpayer contact by
e-mail, and neither will they ask for your bank account password or ID number.
Also, never click on any link or attachment until you know for a fact that it
is from the IRS. If in doubt, you can call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 or forward
the e-mail to phishing@irs.gov.
You
should also be on your guard against fake phone calls from the IRS. Don’t
immediately accept that the caller is legitimate, and certainly don’t divulge
personal information to the caller. Our best advice for any IRS-initiated
contact is to call our office before you do anything. We can quickly determine
if the problem is for real, and if it is, help you respond appropriately.
Call us at (219)
769-3616 with your questions, or email them to tlynch@swartz-retson.com
