IRS Warns of E-Mail Identify Theft Scam
The Internal Revenue Service has warned taxpayers of an e-mail scheme that is being used in an attempt to facilitate identity theft of taxpayers. To this end, scam artists are sending out e-mail messages in which taxpayers are given notice that they are under investigation for tax fraud and are subject to prosecution. The e-mail informs recipients they can "help" the investigation by providing "real" information and directs them to an official-looking Web site, http://deptreas.org/irs/7634//, where detailed personal information must be provided to dispute the charge. The information includes such items as:
- Social Security Numbers
- Driver's License Numbers
- Bank and Credit Card Numbers
Identity thieves can use such data to take over a taxpayer's accounts, run up charges on their credit cards and apply for loans, credit cards or other services in the victim's name and file fraudulent tax returns. In short, a classic identify theft scam.
At the request of the IRS and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), the Internet service provider that was hosting the Web site shut it down and a criminal investigation is taking place.
If you ever receive an e-mail purported to be from the IRS, you should be extremely skeptical. The IRS does not use e-mail to contact taxpayers. Instead, the Agency always contacts taxpayers via regular paper mail. Do not fall for any scam e-mails sent to you from the IRS.
If you received the scam e-mail mention above and responded to it, you should immediately contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration by calling their toll-free fraud referral hotline at 1-800-366-4484. If you have any doubts about a communication purported to be from the IRS, you can contact the Agency at 1-800-829-1040. An IRS representative will be able to verify the taxpayer's account status and determine whether a communication is legitimate.