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Did you get an email from the IRS? Maybe it said they owed you more money and they wanted your bank account number so they could direct deposit it. Or maybe it said that there was a problem with your return and they needed your social security number to verify they reached the right person.
Those emails are SPAM. Don’t open them, don’t click on the links, don’t open the attachments, and whatever you do, don’t send them any information.
The IRS is not going to send you an email asking you for information. If the IRS needs something from you, you’ll get a letter the old fashioned way. The only IRS e-mail that you might possibly receive is a form letter that says your electronic return was received (or rejected). It won’t say anything else.
The IRS will never ask you for your social security number by email; they already know it. They also know your bank account number, your date of birth, where you work, and a lot of other things. If you call the IRS, they might ask you those things—not because they don’t know the answers, but to confirm that they’re really talking to the person you say you are.
These fake emails may look very official. They often have the IRS logo on them. The links can be very deceiving. You’ll see something that says www.irs/importantmessage.com But if you click on it, it will take you someplace totally different. (Did you try clicking on that link? It took you to my Facebook page. Spammers can set up links to look like they’re real, but they’re not).
If you receive IRS spam, and have the presence of mind to do so, forward it to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov That’s a real IRS email address. This will give the IRS the opportunity to hunt down the criminals and put a stop to them. Don’t be mistaken: these phishers are criminals and they’re dangerous. If you don’t have the presence of mind to forward it, just delete it. It’s probably a good idea to run a virus scan on your computer too. Sadly, many of those IRS scam emails are booby trapped with computer viruses, some of them can even wipe out your hard drive.
I hate to sound so much like Chicken Little with the “sky is falling” routine, but I’ve gotten asked about these emails twice in two days. One person forwarded his email to me, fortunately my virus protection program picked up the problem before I opened it.
Remember, no matter how real it looks, no matter how official it seems; the IRS will never send you an email asking for personal information.

Updated June 2018.

I originally posted this warning over 8 years ago – and the problem is: it’s still going on!

I’ve been asked to help get the word out about IRS scams. Right now appears to be a popular time for scammers to send phishing emails masquerading as the IRS. One of the most popular scams involves telling you that there’s a problem with your refund and asking you for bank account information. The emails look pretty convincing with the IRS logo and official sounding language. Don’t be fooled! The IRS will never ask you for your social security number or bank information in an email. Never.

If you receive one of these emails, please forward it to phishing@irs.gov. That way, the IRS security staff can examine it and take action. Be sure to delete the email and whatever you do, do not click on any links or open any attachments. Does it really help to forward the email? I don’t know. But the IRS won’t know about a scam if no one tells them so I recommend forwarding it.

In addition to the refund scam, another popular scam involves winning a lottery or contest where the email claims that the Department of the Treasury needs you to write a check for your tax withholding. Not true. “Withholding” means that the contest agency will hold back some of the money that you would have received for your prize to pay the government. You should not have to write a check to receive your prize. Ever.

And the phone call that says the IRS will file a lawsuit against you? Yep, that’s another scam. Here’s my video about that: IRS scam video

If you’d like to read more about IRS scams, check out this link. It tells about scams, how they work, and how to recognize them. IRS Scams

Most importantly, talk to people! You’re reading this on the internet, you’ve probably heard all about these scams. But maybe you know someone who isn’t as savvy as you are. The whole reason scams are effective is that they catch people who are vulnerable. Senior citizens and immigrants are often targets, but they’re not the only ones. There are scams targeting college students, scams targeting veterans, scams targeting small business owners, etc. You name a group, there’s probably a scam targeting them. So please, be on guard for these scammers, and please let your friends and neighbors know about them too. Thank you.

Tag: phishing

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