Internal Revenue warns of bogus emails

Karen Connelly, with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said the IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email and anyone who receives a suspicious email claiming to be from the IRS should forward it to [email protected].

“Scammers use the IRS name or logo to make the email look authentic so you will respond to it,” Connelly said in a press release. “In reality, it’s a scam known as ‘phishing’, attempting to trick you into revealing your personal and financial information.”

The IRS has some advice for anyone who receives an out-of-the-blue email claiming to be from the IRS:

1. Do not reply to the message.

2. Do not open any attachments because they may contain malicious code that will infect your computer.

3. Do not click on any links.

4. Do not enter any confidential information.

Connelly said people should contact the IRS by calling 800-829-1040 if they received an unexpected email, call, fax or letter to determine if the IRS is really trying to get in touch with them.

For more information, visit http://www.irs.gov.