Be Aware of Phishing Schemes

Suspicious e-Mails and Identity Theft


The Internal Revenue Service 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.Suspicious e-Mail/PhishingPhishing (as in “fishing for information” and “hooking” victims) is a scam where Internet fraudsters send e-mail messages to trick unsuspecting victims into revealing personal and financial information that can be used to steal the victims’ identity. Current scams include phony e-mails which claim to come from the IRS and which lure the victims into the scam by telling them that they are due a tax refund.

IR-2008-11, IRS Warns of New E-Mail and Telephone Scams Using the IRS Name; Advance Payment Scams Starting
IR-2007-183, IRS Warns of E-Mail Scam Solicting Donations to California Wildfire Victims
IR-2007-148, IRS Warns of New E-mail Scam Offering Cash for Participation in “Member Satisfaction Survey”
IR-2007-109, IRS Warns Taxpayers of New E-mail Scams
IR-2007-75, IRS Warns of Phony e-Mails Claiming to Come from the IRS
IR-2006-116, Electronic Federal Tax Payment System Cited in New E-mail Scam
IR-2006-104, IRS Renews E-mail Alert Following New Scams
IR-2006-49, IRS Establishes e-Mail Box for Taxpayers to Report Phony e-Mails

Sample of a suspicious/phishing e-mail

Is it a phishing Web site?

How to Protect Yourself from Suspicious E-Mails or Phishing Schemes

You Can Help Shut Down Phishing Schemes
The good news is that you can 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 instructions in the link below 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. Unfortunately, due to the expected volume, the IRS will not be able to acknowledge receipt or respond to you.

phishing@irs.gov
Instructions for submitting phishing e-mails to IRS

IR-2006-49, IRS Establishes e-Mail Box for Taxpayers to Report Phony e-Mails
Identity TheftIdentity theft can be committed through e-mail (phishing) or other means, such as regular mail, fax or telephone, or even by going through someone's trash.
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.

Identity Theft Companion Learning Guide ,
What Law Enforcement is Doing to Stop the Thieves
Identity Theft and Your Tax Records
Social Security announces public warning of identity theft e-mail scam