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How to Protect Yourself from Suspicious E-Mails and Phishing Schemes
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The IRS is warning taxpayers to lookout for suspicious e-mails. A popular scam that has been going around is an e-mail telling taxpayers that they are due a refund. The IRS does NOT initiate communication with taxpayers by e-mail and the IRS does not have your e-mail address! Click here to view a sample of a suspicious/phishing e-mail What are Suspicious E-mails or Phishing? Phishing, as in “fishing for information” and “hooking” victims is the act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, phishers send an e-mail or pop-up message that claims to be from a business or organization that you may deal with — for example, an Internet service provider (ISP), bank, online payment service, or even a government agency. The message may ask you to “update,” “validate,” or “confirm” your account information. Some phishing e-mails threaten a dire consequence if you don’t respond. The messages direct you to a Website that looks just like a legitimate organization’s site. But it isn’t. It’s a bogus site whose sole purpose is to trick you into divulging your personal information so the operators can steal your identity and run up bills or commit crimes in your name. What to do if you become aware of an IRS related phishing scam? The IRS can use the information, URLs and links in the suspicious e-mails you forward to them to trace the hosting Website and alert authorities to help shut down the fraudulent sites. If you receive an unsolicited e-mail communication claiming to be from the IRS, please forward the message to: phishing@irs.gov. It is important that the original communication that was received is included, as well as Internet headers. The following instructions will assist you in forwarding a phishing communication to the IRS. In Microsoft Outlook You can forward a message without double clicking to open it in a new window. Highlight the e-mail in the message list of your inbox and follow the directions for your particular mail client:
or
You can forward a message without double clicking to open it in a new window. Highlight the e-mail in the message list of your inbox and follow the directions for your particular mail client:
or
In Mulberry You can forward a message without double clicking to open it in a new window. Highlight the e-mail in the message list of your inbox and follow the directions for your particular mail client:
In Netscape/Mozilla/Thunderbird Mail
If you are using an alternative to these e-mail clients, please consult your provider for instructions on how to forward messages with Internet headers. If the methods above do not work, please send the underlying link of the phishing Website to phishing@irs.gov. If the suspicious e-mail includes a file attachment, it is safer to simply highlight the message and forward it. Some configurations, especially in Windows environments, may allow the execution of arbitrary code upon opening and viewing a malicious e-mail message. The IRS can use the information found in the e-mail such as URLs and links to trace the hosting Website and alert authorities to help shut down the fraudulent sites. The IRS is very concerned and aware of suspicious emails and phishing schemes. You may not receive an individual response to your e-mail because of the volume of reports the IRS receives each day. You may also report misuse of the IRS name, logo, forms or other IRS property to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration toll-free at 1-800-366-4484. You can also forward suspicious e-mails to the Federal Trade Commission at: spam@uce.gov or contact them at www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/ or 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338) Do NOT open any attachments in questionable e-mails, which may contain malicious code that will infect your computer. Please be advised that the IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers via e-mails. Also, the IRS does not request detailed personal information through e-mail or ask taxpayers for the PIN numbers, passwords or similar secret access information for their credit card, bank or other financial accounts. The IRS has issued several recent consumer warnings on the fraudulent use of the IRS name or logo by scamsters trying to gain access to consumers’ financial information in order to steal their identity and assets. When identity theft takes place over the Internet, it is called phishing. What to Do if You Fall Victim to Identity Theft?
Suspicious E-Mail or Phishing
Identity Theft Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information such as your name, Social Security number or other identifying information without your permission to commit fraud or other crimes. Typically, identity thieves use someone’s personal data to empty the victim’s financial accounts, run up charges on the victim’s existing credit cards, apply for new loans, credit cards, services or benefits in the victim’s name, file fraudulent tax returns or even commit crimes. People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years — and their hard-earned money — cleaning up the mess thieves have made of their good name and credit record. In the meantime, victims may lose job opportunities, be refused loans, education, housing or cars, or even get arrested for crimes they didn't commit. Sources for information found on this webpage: http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=155344,00.html http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=155682,00.html |
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