The Internal Revenue Service wants you to be on the lookout for scammers pretending to be with the IRS while targeting your pocketbook.
A viewer sent Fox 4 an email he received from "irs-notice@services.com," bearing the IRS logo. The email asks the recipient to fill out an attached form to verify personal information - such as his Social Security number, date of birth and driver's license number - in order to bypass any delays in processing his refund.
The viewer wrote that he immediately knew it was a phishing scam. IRS spokesman Mike Dobzinski advises against giving out such personal information electronically.
"The IRS doesn't send emails to taxpayers to solicit monies or send a tax bill," Dobzinski said. "We just don't do that. So right away, you know that it's a scam."
He said that phone scams are still a problem also, with the caller posing as an IRS agent.
"They make very threatening calls where they will tell you that they're going to deport you, take your driver's license away, (or) put you in jail if you don't pay up your taxes," Dobzinski said. "The IRS just doesn't operate that way."
To safeguard your financial data online, the IRS recommends using security software with firewall and antivirus protection. You should also use strong passwords, and never click or download attachments from unknown or suspicious emails, which can be forwarded to phishing@irs.gov for investigation.
In 2015, the IRS rejected or suspended nearly 5 million suspicious tax returns, stopping almost $3 billion worth of fraudulent returns.
For more information about tax-related scams, more information is available at www.irs.gov, under the Protect My ID tab.
