The IRS will NEVER send you email telling you to “click here” to claim your refund. Click the image to see a larger version of this scam. (Source: IRS)
It is the height of the US tax season, so a phresh batch of phish are swimming around the Internet trying to lure you into clicking where you shouldn’t click and going where you shouldn’t go–all because as soon as some people see the IRS logo or the phrase “tax refund,” they lose all common sense.
The IRS does not initiate taxpayer communication through email.
Don’t click links in email claiming to be from the IRS, no matter how convincing the email may be. Instead, go to irs.gov with your Web browser and find accurate information about your taxes.
If you think you have received a fraudulent email or phone call from a scammer claiming to be from the IRS, then follow the advice at the IRS page “What to do if you receive a suspicious IRS-related communication.”
For more information about tax fraud and tax phishing scams:
- Click Tax Scams on the IRS home page, then follow the links to IRS information about phone and phishing scams.
- Go to this IRS Consumer Alert page for information on six of the tax scams currently active.
- See US-CERT Security Tip ST15-001: IRS and US-CERT Caution Users: Prepare for Heightened Phishing Risk This Tax Season.
- Read Intuit’s TurboTax help file about Identity Theft: What to Do if Someone Has Already Filed Taxes Using Your Social Security Number.