In the U.S., Tax Season = Phishing Season

By Doctor Security

Email scams are always with us no matter what time of year, but when “tax season” comes around in the U.S., phishing attempts using the IRS or some other government entity increase.

Phishers know that many are anxious to get a tax refund. They play upon this emotion by sending out email blasts that offer some kind of quick access to money. The intent, of course, is to steal identities by trying to entice people to click on links and visit fake Web sites.

These sites are designed to look like real IRS or government Web sites and ask potential victims to enter personal financial information in order to get an “immediate refund.” Of course, the IRS never sends out emails asking for Social Security or PIN numbers to bank.

So what should you do if you get a phishing email?

1. Do not reply or click on links inside the email
2. Never give out financial information or passwords in response to an email request
3. Forward suspicious emails and bogus IRS Web sites addresses (URLs) to phishing@irs.gov.

For more information about phishing and how you can help stop it, check out this great page on the IRS Web site:

How to Report and Identify Phishing, E-mail Scams and Bogus IRS Web Sites