Cold World: Tax Scam Warning from the Better Business Bureau

 

First thing first.....the IRS does NOT send emails! Ok, here is a warning from the Goodfellas at the Better Business Bureau.

 

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning taxpayers who filed electronically to keep an eye out for a tax scam that looks like an IRS e-mail but in reality it contains fake links that if clicked on can cause a virus. Here’s the BBB’s report of what this e-mail contains:

• An official looking email that appears to come from the IRS with the subject line: your federal tax bank transfer failed.
• The “From” line contains another email address.

Beware: Do Not Click on The Link. Here’s what happens if you do:

• The link goes directly to a fake account number that urges you to click on a Word attachment with the details of the failed transfer.
• The Word attachment is really a virus.
• Some consumers reported receiving a follow up email with “SECOND NOTICE” Your IRS federal tax bank transfer is cancelled” in the subject line.

This type of email communication is called Phishing. Taxpayers can be approached either by e-mail, social media, text or through a fake IRS website and asked for personal and financial information. If you mistakenly reply and give out your personal/financial information, thieves usually use that information to commit identity theft crimes often resulting in your own financial nightmare.

Here are tax help tips the Better Business Bureau recommends to prevent this tax scam from going anywhere but the trash bin:

• Don’t click any attachments or links. If you inadvertently click on the link and download the file, be sure to run a virus scan on your computer immediately

• If you receive the above message or any suspicious email posing as the IRS, forward the message to Report-Phishing at the irs.gov website.

It's a cold world, protect yourself!