Emails Scams: What to watch out for
Keep this in mind: the IRS will never contact you via email. This not only holds true for you, but also for every other taxpayer in the United States. Simply put, they do not communicate via this method. That being said, you may come across an email from the “IRS” in your inbox. If you do, one word should come to mind: scam. Anytime you receive an email and the sender claims to be from the IRS, you can be rest assured that they are trying to scam you.
What do scammers wish to accomplish by sending out these emails? The first thing that you should know is that they prey on your vulnerability. These scammers will tell you that you have a refund that needs claimed, or that you owe money to the IRS. Additionally, they will ask for personal information such as that related to your bank account or credit card. In the end, if you give up this information the scammer received what they need to access your personal information and accounts.
Reading a scam email is one thing. But if you open an attachment or click on a link, you are definitely putting yourself at risk. Some scammers do not want your personal information, but would rather infect your computer with malicious code that can be used to hijack your computer. As you can imagine, this is just as bad as offering your bank account information.
All in all, the IRS does not communicate via email. They never have and they probably never will. So anytime you receive an email from somebody claiming to be with the IRS, you can be rest assured that it is a scam.
