The IRS is warning taxpayers about a new mailing scam that attempts to mislead people into believing they are owed a refund. Individuals are receiving a letter that claims to be “in relation to your unclaimed refund.” It includes the IRS masthead and is delivered in a cardboard envelope from a delivery service.
The letter, which contains inaccurate IRS contact information, requests personal information from the recipient, including photos of their driver’s license, bank routing information and Social Security number. According to the IRS, the letter contains poorly worded sentences, such as:
“A Clear Phone of Your Driver’s License That Clearly Displays All Four (4) Angles, Taken in a Place with Good Lighting.”
“You’ll Need to Get This to Get Your Refunds After Filing. These Must Be Given to a Filing Agent Who Will Help You Submit Your Unclaimed Property Claim. Once You Send All The Information Please Try to Be Checking Your Email for Response From The Agents Thanks”
The IRS is issuing the following reminders to taxpayers:
- The IRS will never initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text or social media regarding a bill or tax refund.
- Remain vigilant about fraudulent requests, including in the form of text or email in phishing and smishing schemes. Fake communications will often feature awkward phrasing, misspellings, inaccurate contact information and odd punctuation.
- Never respond to suspicious communications or click on a link provided in a text or email as it may surreptitiously load malware or ransomware that keeps the legitimate user from accessing their system and files.
- Be wary of messages that appear to be from friends or family but that are possibly stolen or compromised email or text accounts from someone you know. Verify the identity of the sender by using another communication method; for instance, calling a number you independently know to be accurate, not the number provided in the email or text.
- Potential scams should be reported to the IRS by sending the email/a copy of the text or SMS as an attachment to phishing@irs.gov. The report should include the suspicious email address or phone number and the date, time and time zone as well as the phone number or email address that received the message.
- Taxpayers can also report scams to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration or the Internet Crime Complaint Center. For more information, visit the Report Phishing and Online Scams page at IRS.gov.
If you have questions about any potential IRS scheme or suspicious communications, please contact your Janover representative directly.