IRS warns of new scam being circulated through e-mail

BY JOHN H. WALKER

The Daily News

BOGALUSA - The latest in a growing list of e-mail scams involving the Internal Revenue Service is making the rounds.

The latest phishing scam is an e-mail purporting to come from the IRS that advises taxpayers they can receive $80 by filling out an online customer satisfaction survey. IRS spokesman Dee Harris in New Orleans said the IRS never initiates contact with taxpayers through the use of e-mail.

The IRS urges taxpayers to ignore this solicitation and not provide any requested information.

"If you get an unsolicited e-mail that appears to come from the IRS, it is definitely a fake and may be dangerous," she said.

Harris offered several guidelines for individuals to protect themselves:

  • Do not open any attachments or click on links in the messages. Doing so may download a Trojan Horse that can damage your computer or allow remote access to your hard drive.

  • If you do click on a link in the e-mail and it takes you to a Web site requesting your personal financial information, do not supply it. Any information you supply will likely be used to steal your identity.

  • If you click on a link or open an attachment, make sure your virus protection is up-to-date and run a scan immediately. If you have spyware protection, run a scan for that, too.

  • If you receive a scam e-mail, forward it to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.

  • If you think you may have a tax refund due that you have not yet received, contact the IRS toll-free at 1-800-829-1040.

  • If you believe you have been the victim of a tax scam, contact the U. S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration toll-free at 1-800-366-4484.

    Harris said persons targeted by scammers can actually help turn the tables on them help shut down these schemes and prevent others from being victimized.

    If you receive a suspicious e-mail that claims to come from the IRS, you can relay that e-mail to a new IRS mailbox, phishing@irs.gov. Follow the instructions at the following link http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=155344,00.html for sending the bogus e-mail to ensure that it retains critical elements found in the original e-mail.

    The IRS can use the information, URLs and links in the suspicious e-mails you send to trace the hosting Web site and alert authorities to help shut down the fraudulent sites. Because of the expected volume, the IRS will not be able to acknowledge receipt or respond to you.

    For more information follow these links: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=170894,00.html) or (http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=155682,00.html).

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