BugBlog: IRS Phishing Schemes
We are in the midst of March Madness, but I don’t mean basketball. I mean tax season. The IRS and US-CERT has published a bulletin showing how to spot a “phishing” scheme, where some con artist tries to lure you into coughing up some confidential financial information when you think you are talking to the IRS. Maybe the most important points to remember (from the bulletin):
Understand how the IRS communicates electronically with taxpayers
- The IRS does not 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.
- The official website of the IRS is www.irs.gov.
Bruce Kratofil is a market researcher, economist, and writer in Cleveland, OH. He grew up in North Ridgeville Ohio and is an alumnus of North Ridgeville High School and Case Western Reserve University.