How to Report and Identify Phishing, E-mail Scams and Bogus IRS Web Sites |
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The IRS does not initiate taxpayer communications through e-mail.
- The IRS does not request detailed personal information through e-mail.
- The IRS does not send e-mail requesting your PIN numbers, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.
- Report suspicious e-mails and bogus IRS Web sites to phishing@irs.gov.
If you receive an e-mail from someone claiming to be the IRS or directing you to an IRS site,
- Do not reply.
- 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 Web site and entered confidential information, visit our Identity Theft page.
- Use the following steps to report the e-mail or bogus Web site to the IRS.
How to report phishing, e-mail scams and bogus IRS Web sites
If you receive an e-mail or find a Web site you think is pretending to be the IRS,
How to identify phishing e-mail scams and bogus IRS Web sites
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Sample of phishing e-mails
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All IRS.gov Web page addresses begin with, http://www.irs.gov/.
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Are you a victim of Identity Theft?
You may also report misuse of the IRS name, logo, forms or other IRS property to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration toll-free at 1-800-366-4484.
Additional resources
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OnGuardOnline.gov provides protection tips from the federal government and the technology industry.
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IR-2006-49, IRS Establishes e-Mail Box for Taxpayers to Report Phony e-Mails.
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You can also forward suspicious e-mails to the Federal Trade Commission at: spam@uce.gov or contact them at 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338).
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Page Last Reviewed or Updated: August 06, 2009