Phishing is a scam using unsolicited email or a fake website, posing as a legitimate website, to trick you into providing personal and financial information. The email or fake website can also be used to infect your device with malware. These emails and fake websites can even mimic the IRS.
Cybercriminals use the information collected to commit identity, or financial theft. Phishing is an effective scam during tax season because many people feel comfortable providing personal information to the IRS.
It is important to keep in mind that the IRS will not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. They also won’t send you an email about a bill or refund out of the blue. Don’t click on anything claiming to be from the IRS that takes you by surprise. Official IRS websites have URL addresses beginning with www.irs.gov, so if an IRS site you are looking at has a different address, don’t enter any information, no matter how official it looks. If you receive an unsolicited email that appears to be from the IRS, report it by sending it to phishing@irs.gov.
