SALT LAKE CITY — While you squeeze in time with your accountant to file taxes before the April 18 deadline, investigators says criminals are "phishing" the Internet, posing as IRS officials to steal your identity and rob money from you.
"Crooks send out unsolicited e-mails or shoot you an IM or something through Twitter asking you to send them your personal information, maybe your date of birth, Social Security number, account number, credit card number," says Ron Marker, Special Agent, Internal Revenue Service.
Scammers will create phony web addresses that at first glance look like they're coming from the IRS.
"They can use an IRS logo, Treasury Department logo, things like that," says Marker.
"Numerous takes on the irs.gov web address, you know dot.com, dot.net. They might use a space here and there or add another letter."
Click on the phony web address, enter the requested information and within minutes your identity can been stolen.
The IRS will almost always ask for an in-person meeting rather than corresponding via e-mail or other electronic communications, Marker says, mainly to protect taxpayers from identity theft.
Marker adds that the IRS will never send unsolicited e-mails asking for your personal information.
He says if you receive e-mails, instant messages (texts), or phone calls from someone claiming to be from the IRS, chances are it's a scam.
"If you get one of these, we ask that you don't open any of the attachments. Don't click on any of the links," says Marker.
If the e-mails, text messages, phone calls, or letters appear to be suspicious, the best thing to do is contact the official IRS website at www.irs.gov or phishing@irs.gov.
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