Don’t Get Hooked by Tax Time Phishing Scams

Posted by Burroughs, Moreland & Mudd CPA
Bay Leader

The Internal Revenue Service has issued several recent consumer warnings on the fraudulent use of the IRS name or logo by scamsters trying to gain access to consumers’ financial information in order to steal their identity and assets, a scam known as “phishing.”

Phishing (as in “fishing for information” and “hooking” victims) is a scam where Internet fraudsters send e-mail messages to trick unsuspecting victims into revealing personal and financial information that can be used to steal the victims’ identity. Current scams include phony e-mails which claim to come from the IRS and which lure the victims into the scam by telling them that they are due a tax refund.

The IRS periodically alerts taxpayers to, and maintains a list of, phishing schemes using the IRS name, logo or Web site clone. If you’ve received an e-mail, phone call or fax claiming to come from the IRS that seemed a little suspicious, you just may find it on this list.

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.

• ‪If you get an unsolicited email that appears to be from the IRS, please report it by sending it to [email protected]. ‪
• If you find a suspicious website that claims to be the IRS, please send the site’s URL by email to [email protected], using the subject line: suspicious website.

If you want thorough and professional help getting all the deductions and exemptions for which you are eligible, contact Burroughs, Moreland & Mudd, CPA of Charlotte Hall, Maryland at 301-884-4641.