Don’t be Scammed by Fake IRS Communications

Feb. 25, 2011 - PRLog -- Royal Palm Beach, FL- There are so many phony requests asking for our personal information it is very easy to fall prey to these deceptions.  Each time we open our email in-boxes another piece of junk mail shows up or a disturbing voice mail is left on our telephone.  We have all been warned not to randomly share personal information and we probably do pay attention to this advice, however, when we see those formidable three letters IRS our heart stops, all our good sense and wisdom flies out the window and we instinctively want to respond. However, the information about “phishing” below comes directly from the IRS, and SFS Tax, Accounting & College Planning Services thought that sharing this important article with you might help save your identity.

The IRS receives thousands of reports each year from taxpayers who receive suspicious emails, phone calls, faxes or notices claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service. Many of these scams fraudulently use the Internal Revenue Service name or logo as a lure to make the communication more authentic and enticing. The goal of these scams – known as phishing – is to trick you into revealing personal and financial information. The scammers can then use that information – like your Social Security number, bank account or credit card numbers – to commit identity theft or steal your money.

Here are five things the IRS wants you to know about phishing scams:

1. The IRS doesn’t ask for detailed personal and financial information like PIN numbers, passwords or similar secret access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts.

2. The IRS does not initiate taxpayer communications through e-mail and won’t send a message about your tax account. If you receive an e-mail from someone claiming to be the IRS or directing you to an IRS site:

Do not reply to the message.
Do not open any attachments. Attachments may contain malicious code that will infect your computer.
Do not click on any links. If you clicked on links in a suspicious e-mail or phishing website and entered confidential information, visit the IRS website and enter the search term 'identity theft' for more information and resources to help.
3. The address of the official IRS website is http://www.irs.gov. Do not be confused or misled by sites claiming to be the IRS but ending in .com, .net, .org or other designations instead of .gov. If you discover a website that claims to be the IRS but you suspect it is bogus, do not provide any personal information on the suspicious site and report it to the IRS.

4. If you receive a phone call, fax or letter in the mail from an individual claiming to be from the IRS but you suspect they are not an IRS employee, contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to determine if the IRS has a legitimate need to contact you. Report any bogus correspondence.

5. You can help shut down these schemes and prevent others from being victimized. Details on how to report specific types of scams and what to do if you’ve been victimized are available at http://www.irs.gov, keyword “phishing.”

For more information, please call our Port St Lucie,FL office  772 337-1040 or Royal Palm Beach,FL 561 868-1868.

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About SFS Tax, Accounting & College Planning Services: The firm is a year round, full service company that is headed by Tax Professional and Enrolled Agent, Jeffrey Schneider, EA, CCPS, with offices in Royal Palm Beach and Port St Lucie, FL to better serve you.
We work closely with business owners to make certain they meet all their necessary tax requirements and receive every available break they are entitled to that is legally allowed by the IRS. As College Planning Specialists we help families navigate the roadmap to college funding using academic, financial, admissions and enrollment strategies. We assist students with career assessment, selecting the “Best Fit” college and other academic services. There are literally thousands of academic and financial strategies that can help make college more affordable and we work to find the right one.
Visit our website:http//:www.sfstaxacct.com for more information, and sign up for your free information or facebook.com/southfloridatax