Among the new scams:
The Rebate Phone Call: Posing as an IRS employee, scammers are calling people and advising them that they are due for a large refund if they file their taxes early. The catch: they can only get the refund by direct deposit - if they don't disclose their bank account information, they don't get the rebate. But the IRS doesn't gather bank routing and account numbers by telephone. And, the IRS doesn't provide advance payments to taxpayers.
The Refund e-Mail: Scammers are sending bogus e-mails to people that appear to come from the IRS. Recipients are advised they are eligible for a tax refund and instructed to click on a link to complete a claim form that asks for personal and financial data. Another version of this scam targets tax-exempt organizations. The IRS does NOT send unsolicited e-mails, and there is only one way to apply for a tax refund - by filing a tax return.
The Audit e-Mail: Some people are receiving personalized e-mail notices that their tax returns are being audited. They are instructed to click on a link to a form that captures personal information. Unlike most spam mails, this one often incorporates the recipient's name. But if you're really being audited, the IRS won't notify you by e-mail.
The Changes to Tax Law e-Mail: Businesses, accountants and "treasury" managers are the targets of this scam, which instructs recipients to download information on tax law changes by clicking on a series of links to various IRS publications. But the links are bogus. What the user downloads is not tax law updates, but malware, which infects computers and sends personal information back to the scammer or allows the scammer remote access to the files on the computer. If you want to download IRS publications, visit www.irs.gov.
The Paper Check Phone Call: Scammers posing as IRS employees are calling people to let them know that the paper check they received from the IRS was not cashed, and they need to confirm the individual's bank account number. But the IRS doesn't really care if you cash your check or not, and won't contact taxpayers to verify any bank information that was provided.
If you get a questionable e-mail:
- Forward it to phishing@irs.gov
- Visit www.irs.gov and enter search for additional information by typing in "suspicious e-mails", "phishing", "identity theft", or "e-mail scams" into the search box at the top right corner of the page.
