Written on July 02, 2013.
Every once in a while, I get a question from a client asking if an email they received from the IRS is real. My answer is always the same, “no.”
The following quote is directly from the IRS website:
“The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels.”
_____
As you would with any SPAM email, never respond, never click on the links, never open any attachments, and never fill out any form. Simply delete.
_____
Below is information directly from the IRS if you would like to report the suspicious email/website directly to them:
It is important that the original communication you received is included, as well as Internet headers. The following instructions will assist you in forwarding a phishing communication to us at phishing@irs.gov.
_____
If you receive an email or find a website you think is claiming to be the IRS
- Do not reply.
- Do not open any attachments. Attachments may contain malicious code that will infect your computer.
- Do not click on any links.
Report email claiming to be from the IRS or bogus IRS websites to us by using the following steps -
Forward the entire email or the URL of the website to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.
-
You can forward the email message as received or provide the Internet header of the e-mail. The Internet header has additional information to help us locate the sender.
-
After you forward the email or header information to us, delete the message you received.
If the methods above do not work, at a minimum, please send the underlying link of the phishing website.
If the suspicious e-mail includes a file attachment, it is safer to simply highlight the message and forward it. Some configurations, especially in Windows environments, may allow the execution of arbitrary code upon opening and viewing a malicious email message.
The IRS can use the information, URLs and links in the suspicious e-mails you forward to trace the hosting website and alert authorities to help shut down the fraudulent sites.
____________________
*The articles on this blog are for education and entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as financial or legal advice. See legal disclaimer for further information. If you would like more information on how something listed in any of my posts specifically affects you, please feel free to comment below, email me, or call me anytime.