Beware of Email Scams and Phishing on the Internet
Posted By JK Harris on May 11, 2009
Email and phishing scams are not uncommon on the Internet. Most individuals are aware of what email and phishing scams are, but there are those who don’t have a clue. One way or the other, it is important to be aware of what scams are out there so that you can avoid your personal information getting in the wrong hands. So you don’t send your vital information to the wrong place and to the wrong people, it is important to understand how the IRS will correspond with you.
Email scams
Let’s say you get an email from the IRS requesting your reply to the email with your social security number or other important information. Because it is from the IRS, you don’t want to ignore their request. You comply and provide them with the information they have requested.
This is an email scam. The scammer created this legitimate looking email with official looking logos, and everything that the IRS would include in an email.
Phishing
Again, let’s say you get an email saying it is from the IRS. They ask you to log into your account and re-enter your payment information where you make your online installment payments. So, the page you usually go to in order to make your payment looks like the website you always go to and you follow the instructions given you from the email. You feel good you were able to comply with the request made by the IRS in a timely manner and you hit the “submit” button.
But do you know what really happened?
What happened is you were phished. The email you received looked like it was from the IRS, the link in the email led you to a page that looked like an IRS page, and you entered your financial information. A phishing email page looks legitimate, but it is not. These pages are “spoofed” pages, more or less duplicated from the real page. But a close look at the address bar will show that the address is not what the address would be for the legitimate page. Unfortunately, most people will not notice the address discrepancy unless they are aware of the difference.
The truth
The IRS is NEVER going to request personal information over the Internet. They are not going to send you an email that asks you to enter financial information. They are also not going to ask you for your social security number via email request. The Internet is wide-open and your personal information will never be put at risk by the IRS in such a way. If the IRS needs information from you, they will send you a letter asking for what they need and how you can provide that information to them. The IRS always corresponds via postal mail. It is your responsibility to provide them with the information they request either by mail or by calling them. All of this is done for the safety of your personal information.
If you are ever receive this type of email, you can contact the IRS at phishing@irs.gov and report the email. It is important the IRS knows when email scams or phishing emails pop up so they can work to shut them down.
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