The Internal Revenue Service said Friday that taxpayers should be cautious regarding a "wave" of summer scams sent by email from identity thieves promising various fixes for tax problems and refunds.
"The IRS is seeing a wave of these summer scams relentlessly pounding taxpayers," IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a press release from the agency Friday. "People are being flooded with these email and text messages, but we want them to avoid getting swept up in these terrible scams. Taxpayers should be wary; remember, don't click on links from questionable sources."
According to the agency, identity thieves are sending out a "barrage" of emails and text messages offering assistance with tax issues, getting refunds, and getting benefits from the third round of Economic Impact Payments tied to 2021's American Rescue Plan.
IRS officials say reports about these new scams flood into its "phishing" email address daily at phishing@irs.gov.
"Dear Tax Payer, We hope this message finds you well. We are writing to inform you abount an important matter regarding your recent tax return filing," one such fraudulent email supposedly sent by the agency tells consumers. "Our record indicate that we have received your tax return for the fiscal inconsistencies or missing information that require your attention and clarification. You will receive a tax refund of $976.00 , We will process this amount once you have submitted the document we need for the steps to claim your tax refund."
The IRS said that this fake notice should not fool recipients and that they should critically view communications with spelling errors and "factual inaccuracies" regarding the programs.
"Like many scams, this email urges people to click on a link so they can complete their 'application,' " the agency said in the release "Instead, it takes the taxpayer to a website where identity thieves will try to harvest valuable personal information."
Both tax preparers and taxpayers should also be on alert for communications by groups claiming to be members of the legitimate tax and financial community posing as the state or the IRS looking for personal information they can harvest.
"Never click on any unsolicited communication claiming to be the IRS as it may surreptitiously load malware," the agency said in the release. "It may also be a way for malicious hackers to load ransomware that keeps the legitimate user from accessing their system and files.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.