IRS Phishing Scams

3/17/2010

Lexington, KY - It's tax time…and that means con artists will use the legitimacy of the Internal Revenue Service's name to try to fool you into giving up personal information.

The con artists know you are anxious to get your tax refund, and they'll use your email box to take advantage of that. Your Better Business Bureau has received examples of these "phishing" scams we want to show you.

One tells you this:

Your Tax Refund is now available!

After the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of $120.00. Your refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons. For example submitting invalid records or applying after the deadline. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience.

To access the form for your tax refund click the link below:

(phishing scam link deleted)

Regards,
Internal Revenue Service

Don't follow the link. The IRS says you do NOT have to fill out any form to get any refund, if you have one coming…just returning your tax return form triggers it.

Another one tries to lure you to click a link in a different manner:

Dear taxpayer,

The Federal income tax is a progressive tax, meaning that the more you earn, the higher your tax rate. Your tax rate depends not just upon your taxable income, but also upon your filing status (single, married filing jointly, etc.).

You're in a higher tax bracket because:
- your annual income for the last tax year has increased.

Please review your annual tax report immediately at:
get report

Also a scam...don't do it.

The IRS warns of email phishing scams like these on its website. They say they do NOT communicate with taxpayers via email. They warn that clicking on any of the links in an email like this could lead you to a fake website that looks like the real deal, fooling you into entering sensitive personal information. Or, it could download a virus that searches for passwords and other information that could open your computer files to a con artist.

The IRS has information on its website on how to report these scams. If you get one of these email scams, don't fall for it.

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Be a "Don’t Fall for It!" informant! If you have something to share you believe may be a fraudulent offer or scam, please let the BBB know! Call us at (859) 259-1008 or toll-free, 1-800-866-6668, or email us at info@lexbbb.com.