Beware Email Scams Claiming to Come from the IRS

If you receive an email purporting to come from the Internal Revenue Service, chances are it's a scam. The IRS never initiates contact with taxpayers via email. And even dealing with the IRS as frequently as I do, I have never dealt with the IRS via email concerning clients' tax issues.

Here's a copy of an email floating around right now that was forwarded to me by a client. I'll paste the email verbatim, and point out all the tell-tale signs of why this email is a scam in boldface.

------ Forwarded Message
From: Internal Revenue Service (irs@tax.com)
Reply-To: (irs@tax.com)
Date: Mon, 6 Jul 2009 16:30:44 -0700
Subject: Tax Notification

Document
Tax Notification
............................................................................................................

We are pleased to inform you that upon review of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of $246.30 under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Please submit the tax refund request and allow us 3-6 days in order to process it.

To get your refund, please access the IRS e-file form.

IRS e-file form (http://tradef.static.otenet.gr)

............................................................................................................

Note: For security reasons, we will record your ip-address, the date and time. Deliberate wrong inputs are criminally pursued and indicted.

Note: Because this letter could help resolve any questions regarding your exempt status, you should keep it in your permanent records.

David Morgan
Director, Tax Refunds Department

------ End of Forwarded Message

The mistakes?

1. The IRS Web domain is irs.gov.
2. Sometimes spammers will spoof the "from" address and then use a different "reply-to" address. Although here, the addresses are the same
3. The refund amount includes cents. Refunds are usually in whole dollars.
4. Section 501(c)(3) of the tax code refers to tax-exempt organizations, so this is not relevant to refund for an individual taxpayer.
5. The URL address for the e-file form goes to a site other than irs.gov, in this case it points to a server in Greece.

In short, refunds can be requested from the IRS only by submitting a tax return. Returns can be e-filed only through authorized e-file providers (which means through a tax professional's office or through tax software packages). If you have questions about your refund, you can always call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040.

Related: Fake IRS Emails and Suspicious e-Mails and Identity Theft.