As the government continues to dole out economic stimulus checks, far too many taxpayers are still falling victim to Internet scams preying on the confusion about their payments.
One such scam that has become prevalent enough to warrant a warning from the FBI is a spam e-mail that claims to be from the Internal Revenue Service. The e-mail is causing confusion because, although it’s not from the IRS, it does contain relatively accurate information.
“The fastest and easiest way to receive your refund is by direct deposit to your checking/savings account,” the e-mail reads.
That part of the statement is true. But if you did not receive your tax returns via direct deposit, it’s too late to switch now. To get your refund deposited directly into your account, you would have needed to file for direct deposit on your regular tax return, which was due April 15. Those who signed up for direct deposit to receive their tax returns have already received their stimulus checks.
But the e-mail offers a bogus opportunity to switch to direct deposit. The e-mail provides a link to a form, claiming those who fill it out will have their payment directly deposited to their bank accounts. In reality the information it seeks — such as bank PIN numbers, passwords, account numbers and routing numbers — will not help you get your payment faster. But it will help a thief steal your identity.
E-mail scams, which are often called “phishing” scams, can be easy to identify. For example, the IRS never contacts taxpayers via e-mail.
So if you get an e-mail purporting to be from the IRS, just delete it. Better yet, forward the e-mail to [email protected]. That way, you can help the IRS warn others about such scams.
And if you haven’t yet received your stimulus payment, you don’t have…