Update Regarding a New IRS Impersonation Email Scam
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is warning taxpayers and tax professionals about a national scam regarding fraudulent IRS impersonations using emails. “The IRS does not send emails about your tax refund or sensitive financial information,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “This latest scheme is yet another reminder that tax scams are a year-round business for thieves. We urge you to be on-guard at all times.”
The IRS said that unsolicited emails have been linked to multiple websites that mirror the official IRS website which is IRS.gov. The emails include details pretending to be about taxpayer refunds, electronic returns or tax accounts. The emails also contain a “temporary password” or a “one-time password” to which you are urged to enter in a response to the fake IRS email. Your response then enables the computer hackers to insert a malicious file into your computer. The malicious files or “malware” infect computers once users have accessed them and then the imposters may gain control of the taxpayer’s computer or secretly download software that tracks every keystroke, which gives them passwords to sensitive accounts such as financial accounts.
Please remember the following if you should receive such an email claiming to be from the IRS:
- The IRS does not send unsolicited emails and never emails taxpayers about the status of
- The IRS doesn’t initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information. This contact includes but is not limited to: requests for PIN numbers, passwords, or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts
- The IRS will generally first mail a bill to any taxpayer who owes taxes
- The IRS does not call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer
Please contact our tax attorneys at 216-696-1422 if you have any concerns regarding suspect communications by IRS imposters.
