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What is phishing? an e-mail from the IRS. The e-mails use an official IRS seal
Phishing is the act of sending an e-mail to a user and ask recipients to provide personal information, such as
falsely claiming to be a legitimate enterprise in an Social Security numbers, credit card numbers and bank
attempt to scam the user into surrendering private PINs. You should only respond in writing or by phone to the
information that could be used for identity theft. phone number listed on an IRS notice.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, Remember, the IRS does not initiate communication
phishers send e-mails or pop-up messages that claim with taxpayers through e-mail.
to be from a business or organization, for example, an
Internet Service What if you
Provider, a bank, an believe you’ve
online payment been a victim
service or even a of a scam?
government agency. File a complaint at
The message may ask www.ftc.gov, and then visit
you to update, validate the FTC’s Identity Theft
or confirm your Web site at
account information. www.consumer. gov/idtheft/.
Some phishing e-mails Victims of phishing can
threaten dire conse- become victims of identity
quences if you don’t theft. If an identity thief is
respond. The mes- opening credit accounts in
sages direct you to a your name, these new
Web site that looks accounts are likely to show
just like a legitimate up on your credit report. You
organization’s site — may catch an incident early by ordering a free copy of your
but it’s not. It’s a bogus site whose sole purpose is to credit report from any of the three major credit bureaus.
trick you into divulging your personal information so See www.annualcreditreport.com for details on ordering
operators can steal your identity and run up bills or a free annual credit report.
commit crimes in your name.
What if you become aware of an
Remember these tips:
• If you get an e-mail or a pop-up message that asks
IRS-related phishing scam?
for personal or financial information, do not reply or Find more on how to report phishing schemes at
click on any links in the message. Legitimate www.irs.gov (keyword: identity theft). The IRS and the
companies don’t ask for this information via e-mail. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration can use
If you are concerned about your account, contact the information, URLs and links in the bogus e-mails to
the organization in the e-mail by using a telephone trace the hosting Web site and alert authorities to help shut
number you know or open a new Internet browser it down.
session and type in the company’s correct Web How do I report other IRS
address yourself. Don’t cut and paste the link from scams?
the message into your Internet browser — phishers
You may report misuse of the IRS name, logo, forms or
can make links look real, but it actually sends you
other IRS property to the Treasury Inspector General for
to a different site.
Tax Administration at 800.366.4484.
• Use anti-virus software and a firewall and keep
them up-to-date. Some phishing e-mails contain How do I report tax fraud?
software that can harm your computer or track your Don’t fall victim to tax scams. Remember, that if it
activities on the Internet without your knowledge. sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Report suspected
Anti-virus software and a firewall can protect you tax fraud activity by sending a completed Form 3949-A,
from inadvertently accepting such unwanted files. Information Referral, to Internal Revenue Service, Fresno,
Beware of phishing schemes CA 93888. You can download the form or call 800.829.3676
to order by mail.
involving the IRS
Although the FTC has reported that the IRS has a For more information about identity theft prevention
low number of identity theft crimes, phishing schemes and victim assistance,
using the IRS name have been escalating in number visit www.irs.gov
and sophistication. The current phishing scheme (keyword: identity
attempts to convince the users that they are receiving theft).