Uncle Sam wants YOU to avoid tax season scams!
Sure, we all love the convenience of being able to get more done (easier) online. Whether it’s day-to-day shopping, or an annual e-file at tax time, God’s grand grid saves us all time and money. Unfortunately, it also makes us vulnerable to new threats from scammers, phishers and identity fraudsters.
The does their best to encourage people to file online, but they’re also working hard to make sure people arm themselves against identity thieves and online scams that impersonate the IRS. Here are a few tips to keep you from falling prey.
They won’t tweet you. Generally, the IRS does not send unsolicited e-mails or online messages to taxpayers, and they NEVER discuss tax account information with taxpayers via e-mail or use e-mail to ask for financial and personal information. They don’t ask for account security information, PIN numbers or such. Some of the bogus emails can look very official, but if you’re in doubt, call the IRS yourself, don’t reply to an email or online message unless you already know who you’re dealing with.
You can’t click your way to a refund. Refund scams are the most commonly seen IRS impersonation schemes. They’ll tell you that you’re eligible to receive a tax refund, and that you have to open an attachment or follow a link to fill out a claim form. In truth, there’s no special form from the IRS needed to obtain a tax refund, other than your annual tax return.
You probably haven’t won the lottery either. If you receive an email claiming to come from the Treasury Department saying that you’ll receive millions of dollars in recovered funds or lottery winnings (or whatever) and all you need to do is give them your personal information to get the process started, just don’t.
Here are some other tips from the IRS Website on how to spot a scam. Avoid (and report) any email that: