Q What identity theft scams should taxpayers be aware of?
A “One thing I?m seeing a lot is the phishing that?s happening,” said enrolled agent Connie Kurtz, who?s certified by the IRS.
Phishing occurs when individuals or organizations attempt to acquire sensitive personal information ? like credit card or social security numbers ? fraudulently via e-mail or pop-ups.
Kurtz said the e-mails sent to taxpayers look like IRS e-mails, but are actually not.
“It looks pretty good, and they?re scared, so they reply with their social security number in e-mail,” Kurtz said.
The e-mails look official, but the IRS does not use e-mail with the public ? it?s actually against rules and regulations because of security reasons.
“That?s huge,” Kurtz said. “IfI didn?t know better, I would have replied.”
The public needs to be aware of these scams, Kurtz said, because ignorance can result in money loss and identity theft.
