4 Facts You Need to Know about E-mails

There are many email scams circulating that fraudulently use the Internal Revenue Service name or logo as a lure. The goal of the scam – known as ―phishing‖ – is to trick you into revealing personal and financial information. The scammers can then use your personal information – such as your Social Security number, bank account or credit card numbers – to commit identity theft and steal your money.

Here are four things the IRS wants you to know about phishing scams:

1. The IRS does not send unsolicited e-mails about a person’s tax account or ask for detailed personal and financial information via e-mail.

2. The IRS never asks taxpayers for their PIN numbers, passwords or similar secret access information for their credit card, bank or other financial accounts.

3. If you receive an e-mail from someone claiming to be the IRS or directing you to an IRS site,
 Do not reply to the message.
 Do not open any attachments. Attachments may con-tain malicious code that will infect your computer.
 Do not click on any links. If you clicked on links in a suspicious email or phishing Web site and entered confidential information, visit IRS.gov and enter the search term 'Identity Theft' for more information and resources to help.

4. If you receive a suspicious e-mail that claims to come from the IRS, forward that email to phishing@irs.gov and then delete the message after forwarding.