New Phishing Scam Disguised as IRS Tax Refund Notification

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Internet Crime Complaint Center have issued a consumer alert regarding a new phishing scam in which consumers receive an email informing them of a tax refund. To receive this alleged refund, the recipient is asked to submit personal contact and financial account information via a website link.

How the scam works
One email, which claims to be from the IRS, informs the recipient that they are eligible to receive a tax refund for a given amount. It then directs the victim to a link that requests personal information, such as Social Security number and credit card information.

nother email titled “Refund Notice" claims to provide information to recipients regarding the status of their IRS Tax Refunds. The email contains a link, which mirrors the true IRS website. This site purportedly allows recipients to “check” the status of their alleged IRS tax refund after providing the following information:

First and last name
Social Security Number or IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
Credit card information

Please beware, this is an attempt to defraud and steal your personal information. The IRS does not ask for personal identifying or financial information via unsolicited email and tax payers do not have to complete a special form to obtain a refund.

What do I do if I receive this email?
If you receive an unsolicited email alleging to be from the IRS, take the following steps:

Do not open any email attachments or links. These attachments and links can contain malicious code that will infect your computer with a virus.
Contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to determine whether the IRS is truly trying to contact you about a tax refund. If the IRS is not trying to contact you, delete the email and then file a complaint at www.ic3.gov

The IRS has seen numerous attempts over the years to defraud the public and the federal government through a variety of schemes, including abusive tax avoidance transactions, identity theft, claims for slavery reparations, and more. Avoid these and other schemes, click here to visit the official IRS website.

If you feel you're a victim of this scam
If you believe you are a victim of this scam and have already given out your personal information, contact your local law enforcement, US Postal Inspector or the FBI and then closely monitor your account statements and credit reports.

What you can do to protect yourself against this and other phishing scams
Be protective of all your personal and financial information - never provide private information to unknown callers or websites.

We also suggest you sign up for our Fraud Prevention e-LERT. Our Fraud Prevention e-LERT will immediately advise you when we have added a new article or warning to the ‘Fraud Alert' section of our website.