IRS Tax Refund E-Mail Or Scammer Stealing Your Identity?
COLORADO SPRINGS – Camille Wright got an e-mail promising a more than $300 tax return from the Internal Revenue Service. Turns out, it’s a scammer trying to steal her identity.
“I did for a minute, just that brief moment, though this is really cool,” said Wright.
Wright did not reply to the e-mail. It was sent from office@irs.online-form.gov. The full text says:
ATTN: Dear Applicant
After the last annual calculation of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund on $314.79.
Your TRN (TAX REFUND NUMBER): USA52/288194IRS29/158, complete the tax return from attached to this message.
After completing the form, submit the form by clicking the SUBMIT button on form and allow us 5-9 business days in order to process it.
Our head office address can be found on our website at http://www.irs.gov/
Note: For security reasons, we recommend that you close your browser after you have finished accessing your refund status.
For security reasons, we will record your ip-address and date.
-Deliberate wrong inputs are criminally pursued and indicted.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Brough
Tax Credit Officer
Internal Revenue Service
Here’s what’s wrong:
-The IRS will NEVER contact you via e-mail asking you for information including your social security number, credit card information, bank account information, etc.
-The IRS will use postal mail or call you on the phone.
-Tax Refund Numbers DO NOT exist. The IRS uses your Social Security Number that you should NEVER readily give out.
-Links and attachments will never be sent from the IRS via e-mail, so DO NOT click on them. These attachments could mine information from your computer and steal your identity.
“You think you’ve gotten an e-mail from the IRS,” said Karen Connelly, an IRS spokesperson. “You’re perhaps maybe a little nervous about what it is. That’s what these scammers prey on is…that fear.”
If you have questions about whether the IRS is trying to contact you for more information, Call 1-800-829-1040.
You can also look up the latest scams by going to the IRS website. Just Click Here. Search key word “phishing”.
