Beware of IRS Emails

Be aware of e-mail scams that fraudulently use the IRS name or Logo as a lure. The goal of the scam is to trick people into revealing personal and financial information, such as Social Security, bank account or credit card numbers, which the scammers can use to commit identity theft and steal your money.

The IRS does not send unsolicited e-mails about a person’s tax account or ask for detailed personal and financial information. Additionally, the IRS never asks people for the PIN numbers, passwords or similar secret access information for their credit card, bank or other financial accounts.

If you or someone you know receives an e-mail from someone claiming to be the IRS,

- Do not reply.

- Do not open any attachments.

Attachments may contain malicious code that will infect your computer.

- Do not click on any links.

If you clicked on links in a suspicious e-mail or phishing Web site and entered confidential information, visit the Identify Theft page on IRS.gov.

You can help shut down these schemes and prevent others from being victimized. Warn your friends and family about these suspicious emails. If you or or someone you know receives a suspicious email claiming to be from the IRS, please forward the suspicious e-mail to phishing@irs.gov. Materials forwarded to this mailbox will be examined and acted on by their information security staff.

These articles are in intended to be general guidelines and information to the public.  Be sure to consult with your tax professional regarding your specific situation.