The IRS doesn't initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information. This includes requests for PIN numbers, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.
What is phishing?
Phishing is a scam typically carried out through unsolicited email and/or websites that pose as legitimate sites and lure unsuspecting victims to provide personal and financial information.
Report all unsolicited email claiming to be from the IRS or an IRS-related function to phishing@irs.gov. If you've experienced any monetary losses due to an IRS-related incident, please report it to the Treasury Inspector General Administration (TIGTA) and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) through their Complaint Assistant to make the information available to investigators.
NOTE: Please refer to Contact the IRS if you have a tax question not related to phishing or identity theft.
ALERTS:
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W-2 Phishing Scam Targeting Schools, Restaurants, Hospitals, Tribal Groups and Others
- Tax Scams / Consumer Alerts
What to do if you receive a suspicious IRS-related communication
If |
Then |
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| You receive an email claiming to be from the IRS that contains a request for personal information, taxes associated with a large investment, inheritance or lottery. |
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| You receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS but you suspect they are not an IRS employee ... |
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| You receive a letter, notice or form via paper mail or fax from an individual claiming to be the IRS but you suspect they are not an IRS employee … |
Go to the IRS home page and search on the letter, notice, or form number. Fraudsters often modify legitimate IRS letters. You can also find information at Understanding Your Notice or Letter or by searching Forms and Pubs.
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| You receive an unsolicited fax, such as Form W8-BEN claiming to be from the IRS, requesting personal information … |
Please send us the email or scanned fax via email to phishing@irs.gov (Subject: 'FAX'). Visit the FATCA home page and Form W8-BEN for more information. |
| You receive an unsolicited telephone call or email, involving a stock or share purchase, that involves suspicious IRS or Department of Treasury documents such as "advance fees" or "penalties" ... |
... and you are a U.S. citizen located in the United States or its territories or a U.S. citizen living abroad.
... and you are not a U.S. citizen and reside outside the United States.
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| You discover a website on the Internet that claims to be the IRS but you suspect it is bogus … | ... send the URL of the suspicious site to phishing@irs.gov (Subject: 'Suspicious Website'). |
| You receive an unsolicited text message or Short Message Service (SMS) message claiming to be from the IRS … |
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How to identify phishing email scams claiming to be from the IRS and bogus IRS websites
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Sample of phishing emails
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Sample of FAX scam
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Are you a victim of Identity Theft?
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Contact the Federal Trade Commission
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Visit the IRS Identity Theft resource page
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What to do if you receive a suspicious email message that doesn't claim to be from the IRS
If |
Then |
|---|---|
| You receive a suspicious phishing email not claiming to be from the IRS ... | Forward the email as-is to reportphishing@antiphishing.org. |
| You receive an email you suspect contains malicious code or a malicious attachment and you HAVE clicked on the link or downloaded the attachment … | Visit OnGuardOnline.gov to learn what to do if you suspect you have malware on your computer. |
| You receive an email you suspect contains malicious code or a malicious attachment and you HAVE NOT clicked on the link or downloaded the attachment … | Forward the email to your Internet Service Provider’s abuse department and/or to spam@uce.gov. |
Additional Resources
- Press releases and more
- The IRS uses new and social media tools to share the latest information on tax changes, initiatives, products and services.
- The IRS also issues customer satisfaction surveys to capture taxpayer and tax practitioner opinions and suggestions for improving our products and services.