IRS did not and will not e-mail you
IRS building. Image from Flikr.com.
If you have gotten a “notice of unreported income e-mail,” delete it and do nothing else. And if you do get a notice of unreported income e-mail or any e-mail from the IRS that asks for a response in the future, do not respond.
Don’t panic if you’ve gotten a notice of unreported income e-mail and opened it. Replying is the part that will get you in trouble. It’s a phishing scam from someone who is trying to get your IRS login ID and password, so just don’t respond. Giving out your password online is the first step toward identity theft, and you don’t want some scammer taking out online cash loans in your name and running off with the money.
IRS does not use e-mail
OK, so the IRS does use e-mail, but not for getting personal information from you. Any transfer of personal information between you and the IRS online will happen via your online IRS account, which you must log in to, using your password.
Don’t e-mail your IRS login information and password to anyone. The IRS will never ask you to do this. In fact, this is a good rule of thumb for any password you want to keep a secret: don’t put it in an e-mail.
Why would someone do this?
If the phishers are successful at getting your IRS login information, they will be able to attempt to change your tax filing to show that you are owed a tax refund. Of course, they will arrange for the tax return to be sent to them, not you.
Once the IRS catches the mistake, you will have to pay back the money. Even though it was the person who stole your identity and not you who ended up with the cash, you will be held responsible. And you don’t want to be on the IRS’s bad side.
Same old story
This “notice of unreported income e-mail” isn’t the first time scammers have tried to get people’s tax information. Back in 2005 some scammers started an e-mail campaign, saying they were the IRS, asking for taxpayers to give their social security number and credit card information.
The IRS will never need your credit card information. If you choose to put taxes owed on a credit card, you can do so. But the IRS will never solicit your credit card information from you. Also, never give out your social security number unless you are absolutely positively certain you know where it’s going and who you’re giving it to. Don’t e-mail your social security number to someone you don’t know.
Avoid IRS e-mail scams
The most important thing to remember is that the IRS does not send unsolicited e-mails. That means that the only time the IRS will ever e-mail you is when you e-mail them first and they respond. If you are going to get an e-mail alert informing you that your taxes have been filed or that your refund has been deposited into your account, you will be warned in advance when you file your taxes.
In the case of e-mail alerts, the IRS will not ask you to respond, and in fact you can’t respond. The IRS won’t ever ask you for personal information in an e-mail, and they will not communicate with you by e-mail unless you request it. So don’t get scammed by the “notice of unreported income e-mail” or any other IRS scams!
yeah i got one of these email asking me to fax immediately because i wasn’t a legal us resident and there info shows i am illegal and i have some sort penalty if it’s not fix also i could be sent out the us and removal of my residency … really…? that stupid huh…. by the way i am us citizen lol so yeah ummm no way in hell . thanks Dave Mitchell i surely will forward the email to the IRS and hope for the piece of $#*!s to get caught.
real estate rebates, you're an idiot. If you opened the link, you deserve the punishment you get. Retards like you don't deserve to have e-mail.
I clicked on to the link on my blackberry, it looks legit..
our goverment could not track down a piss ant much less a hacker irs is a joke fbi is a joke
The IRS website recommends that you forward any such emails to them at phishing@irs.gov, then delete the email. This will allow them to try to track down the perps.
I get loads of fake FBI email too. It’s always telling me to report personal info to whomever or ordering me to receive monies and give my bank account number.
Dont you feel like the people doing this should have a auto death penalty. Most times it is coming from outside the US so i have a suggestion what to do with extra missles and bombs! Yes, I hate these scum! So what.
Hopefully noone is stupid enough to fall for this. Its unreal what some people will try to do for a buck. They need to get a real job like all of us