New Phishing Scam Uses IRS Form

As I've mentioned in my last post, tax season is an ideal time for identity thieves. After all, there is a wealth of private financial information floating around. Tax documents show up in mailboxes, and refund checks as well. The option of a direct deposit of your tax refund requires submitting bank account information. What's wrong with this? I mean, a lot of trust is required during tax time, right? After all, many of us hire someone else to prepare our income tax forms. True, but make sure the people you are dealing with are, in fact, working for the IRS.

A current phishing scam disguises itself as an e-mail from the IRS requesting information. The e-mail claims to be from the Internal Revenue Service and has two attachments. One claiming that the recipient is a non-resident alien and the other is an actual IRS form the recipient is asked to fill out, most likely to prove that he or she is not an "non-resident alien." The form requests a Social Security number, bank account information, and even a photocopy of a drivers license to be faxed to a provided number. This is an identity theft scam, not an actual e-mail from the IRS.

The IRS does not request private information in an e-mail. Any e-mail claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service and asking for a reply with private information is an attempt at identity theft. Don't become the next victim. If you receive one of these e-mail messages, forward it to phishing@irs.gov.