Are the IRS Emails a Scam?

According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), these emails are a phishing scam, trying to trick victims into providing personal and financial information. Do not respond or click any link. If you receive this scam, forward it to phishing@irs.gov and note that it seems to be a scam phishing for your information1.

If you receive a message claiming to be from the IRS, ignore it. The IRS will never email, text, call or send a message on social media to anyone.

Here are some tips to protect yourself from email scams:

• Keep your information secure.
• Have the right settings on your email and calendars.
• Use updated security software on your phone and computer.
• Be alert to uninvited contacts from people or businesses and trust your gut if something seems suspicious or urgent.
• If you are a victim of a scam or fraudulent activity, you should report it to your local police and contact your bank or financial institution for help.
• If you did not pay money or provide sensitive personal information to the scammer, you can still report the scam to your country’s scamwatch network.

You should also understand what email scams look like, how they work, and what you can do to avoid them. The following recommendations can minimize your chances of falling victim to an email scam:

• Filter spam.
• Don’t trust unsolicited email.
• Treat email attachments with caution.