The IRS is not sending you an email because it made a mistake. The IRS is not sending you an online survey whereby you can make some money by participating. The IRS does not need your help in an online fraud investigation. The list goes on and on…

The IRS will not email you spontaneously. It is a phishing related activity, with the focus of obtaining personal information from you and using that information for illicit financial gain. Do not give out any financial details. Do not open any attachments. Do not confirm or correct any personal information online. If you want, forward the email to:  phishing at irs.gov - and then delete the email. You do not want that trash on your machine.

link: Phishing, Identity Theft and Scams

These schemes are becoming more and more sophisticated. They are designed to play upon your anxiety and your willingness to obey the law. If the IRS really needs to contact you, no doubt that they will - and not through email.

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster:  http://flyinghamster.com/

[tags]irs, security, phishing, social engineering, email[/tags]