We have all gotten those annoying emails that we know are scams and, hopefully, we have not taken the bait. Also, many have received phone calls that are scams claiming to be the IRS, a law enforcement agency or even claiming they have a loved one captive and are holding them for ransom. Recently, someone I know who is a grandfather received a call saying that his high school age granddaughter was being held ransom and he needed to send $500 immediately. He called the granddaughter’s mother, who reassured him that the granddaughter was safe at home, but he couldn’t be convinced and felt it necessary to send the money. So, yes, he was scammed out of concern for his granddaughter.
But, now we are getting these nuisance messages via text and the IRS has warned that there has been a recent increase in IRS-themed texting scams which are aimed at stealing personal and financial information. They look like they are coming from the IRS, but are not and if you receive one, you should report them to phishing@irs.gov. The IRS has reported that hundreds of thousands of IRS-themed messages have been delivered in a matter of a few days.
Remember that the IRS will not contact you by email or text or phone, but by USPS. They are working hard to stop these scams, but it is a difficult task and criminals are sly. So, beware and don’t fall for scams received by text, email or phone. Don’t give out your personal information unless you can validate who you are providing it to.
Report any attempts to the IRS using the following process:
- Create a new email to phishing@irs.gov.
- Copy the caller ID number (or email address).
- Paste the number (or email address) into the email.
- Press and hold the SMS/text message and select “copy”.
- Paste the message into the email.
- If possible, include the exact date, time, time zone and telephone number that received the message.
- Send the email to phishing@irs.gov.
You can also report the message to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration using the IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting form, which can be found on irs.gov. Also, all incidents should be reported to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
Think football – the best offense is a good defense!