BAS Blog

IRS Phishing Scenarios

Written by BAS | Jul 12, 2018 12:00:00 PM

The IRS released a list of if/then scenarios for taxpayer who get phished. The IRS does not initiate contact with individuals by email or text to request personal or financial information. Individuals should treat any un-solicited, suspicious email from the IRS as potential fraud.

If an individual receives a suspicious communication from the IRS, he or she should take the following actions:

  • Email. If Someone receives an email claiming to be from the IRS that contains a request for personal information… 
    Then the recipient should: 
  1. Not reply. 
  2. Not open any attachments. They can contain malicious code that may infect a computer or mobile phone.
  3. Not click on any links. 
  4. Forward the email as-is to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.
  5. Delete the original email.
  • Website. If someone discovers a website that claims to be the IRS but the user suspects it is bogus…
    Then they should: 
  1. Send an email with the URL of the suspicious site to phishing@irs.gov. 
  2. Include a subject line of “suspicious website.” 
  • Text Message. If someone receives an unsolicited text message claiming to be from the IRS…
    Then the recipient should: 
  1. Not reply. 
  2. Not open any attachments. 
  3. Not click on any links. 
  4. Forward the text as-is to the IRS at 202-552-1226. Standard text messaging rates apply.
  5. If possible, in a separate text, forward the originating number to the agency at 202-552-1226.
  6. Delete the original text.