The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued a warning to taxpayers to be on the lookout for a new scam that tricks people into thinking they are owed a refund. This new fraud comes through the mail in a cardboard envelope from a delivery service. The letter includes the IRS masthead but the contact information provided is NOT a legitimate IRS phone number.

The letter also requests sensitive, detailed information like a photo of your driver’s license, which may be used to steal your identity.

This particular imposter letter includes many red flags such as poorly worded messages, odd punctuation, a mixture of fonts and incorrect details like including the wrong extension deadline date.

Here are some reminders about the IRS. They will NEVER:

• initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text or social media regarding a bill or tax refund
• call to demand payment with threats to involve law enforcement or have you arrested
• call or email asking you to divulge personal and/or financial information
• require payment without allowing you to appeal or even question the amount due
• require you to use a specific payment method like a pre-paid debit card
• ask for your credit/debit card and/or bank information over the phone

If you receive any IRS-related scam communication, please report it to Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at www.treasury.gov/tigta/ and email the IRS at phishing@irs.gov. 

The IRS offers an option called Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) that assigns a unique six-digit code to eligible taxpayers that helps limit fraudulent tax returns. There is more information available at irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin.

Source: IRS.gov and AgeWell Middle Tennessee