Scam Alert: IRS Tax-Refund Email

Beware of tax-refund notifications in your email inbox that appears to have been sent by the IRS.
It’s a scam. The Better Business Bureau warns that the email arrives with the subject line “Notification about tax refund” and lists a specific dollar amount. Taxpayers are encouraged to click on a hyperlink that takes to a website with more details. The site, however, is not the IRS.
The email signature is “Sincerely, Tax Refund Department Internal Revenue Service.”

The IRS offers these tips:

1. Do not reply.
2. Do not open any attachments. Attachments may contain malicious code that will infect your computer.
3. Do not click on any links. If you clicked on links in a suspicious email or phishing website and entered confidential information, visit our identity protection page.
4. Forward the email as-is, to us at phishing@irs.gov.
5. After you forward the email and/or header information to us, delete the original email message you received.