“Never give a sucker an even break,” is attributed to W.C Fields in the 1923 movie, Poppy. However, some say it represents the real personality of W.C. Fields as a ruthless businessman.
So, don’t be a “sucker” to fraudulent tax notices.
CPA’s usually see through tax fraudsters because we know how the system works. Still, it facenates me when I get an email stating that my tax payment was rejected, or that my tax refund has not been claimed. Fortunately, the IRS gives us some guidance to those who don’t wallow between the lines of the 1040.
Here are five things the IRS wants you to know about phishing scams:
- The IRS doesn’t ask for detailed personal and financial information like PIN
numbers, passwords or similar secret access information for credit card, bank or
other financial accounts. - The IRS does not initiate taxpayer communications through e-mail and won’t
send a message about your tax account. If you receive an e-mail from someone
claiming to be the IRS or directing you to an IRS site:
• Do not reply to
the message.
• Do not open any attachments. Attachments may contain
malicious code that will infect your computer.
• Do not click on any
links. If you clicked on links in a suspicious e-mail or phishing website and
entered confidential information, visit the IRS website and enter the search
term ‘identity theft’ for more information and resources to help. - The address of the official IRS website is https://www.irs.gov. Do not be confused or misled
by sites claiming to be the IRS but ending in .com, .net, .org or other
designations instead of .gov. If you discover a website that claims to be the
IRS but you suspect it is bogus, do not provide any personal information on the
suspicious site and report it to the IRS. - If you receive a phone call, fax or letter in the mail from an individual
claiming to be from the IRS but you suspect they are not an IRS employee,
contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to determine if the IRS has a legitimate need
to contact you. Report any bogus correspondence. - You can help shut down these schemes and prevent others from being
victimized. Details on how to report specific types of scams and what to do if
you’ve been victimized are available at https://www.irs.gov, keyword “phishing.”
If you are unsure, do not do anything until you contact your CPA. One phone call to a CPA can save you a bundle by keeping you out of a fraudulant transaction.
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IRS CIRCULAR 230 NOTICE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service, we inform you that any tax advice contained in this e-mail (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and may not be used, for the purpose of (a) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or state tax authority, or (b) promoting, marketing, or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.