Here it comes again!  More phake phishing eMails purported to be from the IRS.

The first rule to remember:  The IRS NEVER sends unsolicited eMails.  Moreover, the IRS will not send you (or anyone else) an eMail about your tax refund.

https://youtu.be/Kw7f7pO3CAM

These new letters will direct you to a site that looks remarkably like the real thing.  And, the site claims to provide you with data about your refund, your electronic return, or even your complete tax account.  (It may also talk about a large investment, lottery, or inheritance.)

To make it easier for you to get sucked in, the eMails provide a ‘one-time’ or ‘temporary’ password so you can find out about your refund.  What you get instead is a problem- either malware that could control your computer, insert a bot (a key tracking software so it will be able to mimic every stroke you type),  or a virus that will send all your passwords to the perpetrators.

So, if you get an eMail that you think is from the IRS (or even a state agency), what should you do?

In a nutshell, don’t open it- and then call us.  We’ll discern with you if there is a real issue or if you were just one of the lucky chosen few the cybercriminals hoped would be a sucker.

If you are not our client, then… Don’t call us.  Instead, do not reply and don’t open any attachments.  Don’t click on any link in the email.  Then, forward the entire eMail to phishing@irs.gov.  Finally, delete the eMail and purge your discarded eMails from your cache.

Along those same lines, if you get one of those calls claiming to be from the IRS claiming you owe money and must make a payment or something similar, here’s your instructions.  (Note: If you have been corresponding with the IRS, it’s possible this IS an IRS agent.  But, we’ll handle that in a second.)

If it’s a robocall, hang up.  Complain to the FTC via the online complaint form and the FCC Consumer Complaint Center.  (Choose phone form and unwanted calls and complete the form).

If it’s a human, demand their employee ID number and name (all IRS employees are required to provide this to you).  Note these numbers have at least six digits.  Record the phone ID and ask them for their phone number.  (They may not have a phone number for you to call back; if so, ask for their fax number [it will be an 800 number].)

(If the number seems logical, they provided you a name and a fax number-  they might have also provided you  a case number- then you probably have a real live IRS agent on the line.  This is a good time to get your tax representative [The Adjuvancy is available] get on the line with the IRS agent, too.)

Report the information to the IRS (Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration [TIGTA]) via the online form.  You can also send an eMail to phishing@irs.gov (use IRS Phone Scam as the subject heading) including the caller ID number, the phone numbers the caller provided, and a short description.

Don’t be like those small towns across the USA and find you have been held hostage for ransom- or have your bank account stripped clean.