E-Mail Scam – Beware Of “Stimulus Payment” IRS E-Mail Scam

Don’t believe it if you get an e-mail that appears to be from the Internal Revenue Service saying you’re due for a stimulus payment. According to the IRS, it’s part of the latest tax-related phishing scam designed to get personal information from you such as bank account or Social Security numbers. These e-mails, often bearing the IRS letterhead, tell users they must fill out and submit a form in order for the stimulus payment to be processed. The message then says to follow a link to a website or to complete an attached document.

Remember, the IRS does NOT send unsolicited e-mail about tax account matters to taxpayers. Should you receive an e-mail claiming to be from the IRS, DO NOT REPLY, CLICK ON ANY LINKS, OR PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION. Users receiving these fraudulent IRS e-mails are encouraged to forward the message and the website URL to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov. After you forward the e-mail, delete the message.

If the IRS ever needs to contact you about a tax refund or audit, they will do so by traditional mail. When you need to access the IRS website to get information or download forms, initiate contact by typing the www.IRS.gov address into your browser window.

For more about reporting and identifying IRS e-mail scams, go to: http://www.irs.gov/privacy/article/0,,id=179820,00.html?portlet=5