Beware of Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing (or Don't be Scammed by Cyber Criminals Disguised as the IRS)
Well, ok, no one would exactly confuse the Internal Revenue Service with being sheep! But there is a point to this.
The Internal Revenue Service receives thousands of reports each year from people who receive suspicious emails, phone calls, faxes or notices claiming to be from the IRS. Many of these scams fraudulently use the IRS name or logo as a lure to make the communication appear more authentic and enticing.
The goal of these scams, known as phishing, is to trick you into revealing your personal and financial information. The scammers can then use your information, things like your Social Security number, bank account or credit card numbers, to commit identity theft or steal your money.
Here are a few things you should know about such phishing scams as they relate to the IRS and your taxes:
First, the Internal Revenue Service NEVER asks for detailed personal and/or financial information like your PIN numbers, passwords or similar secret access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts. Any request for such information by any means, whether by email, telephone, etc., is simply bogus!
Second, the IRS does NOT initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. If you receive an e-mail from someone claiming to be the IRS or directing you to an IRS site:
• DO NOT reply to the message.
• DO NOT open any attachments. Attachments may contain viruses or worms that can infect your computer.
• DO NOT click on any links. If you clicked on links in a suspicious e-mail or phishing website and entered confidential information, visit the IRS website and enter the search term ‘identity theft' for more information and resources to help.
Another tip; the address of the official IRS website is "www.irs.gov". Do not be confused or misled by sites claiming to be the IRS but ending in ".com", ".net", ".org" or other designations instead of ".gov".
If you discover a website that claims to be the IRS but you suspect it is a sham, do not provide any personal information on the suspicious site and consider reporting it to the IRS.
Here's something to consider if you are one who likes to be proactive against this kind of thing. 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, you can contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to determine if the IRS has a legitimate need to contact you.
You can also report any bogus correspondence, and you can forward suspicious emails to phishing@irs.gov.
Finally, you can help shut down these schemes and prevent others from being victimized. Details on how to report specific types of scams and what to do if you've been victimized are available at www.irs.gov. Just click on "phishing" on the home page.
Author's Note: Interestingly, after this article was written and just prior to press time, the IRS and Justice Department announced the results of a massive national sweep cracking down on suspected identity theft perpetrators as part of a stepped-up effort against refund fraud and identity theft. In all, 939 criminal charges are included in 69 indictments across 23 states. So this is indeed serious stuff to the IRS!
