Stimulus Scam: Do Not Open IRS Emails About a Third Round of Checks
The U.S. government issued a series of stimulus payments in 2020 and 2021 to help Americans get through the coronavirus pandemic. By law, the last of those payments was issued no later than Dec. 31, 2021. Recently, however, the IRS has reported that taxpayers have been receiving emails indicating that they may yet be able to claim money from the third round of stimulus payments. This is a scam, and the IRS is trying to spread awareness so that additional taxpayers don’t fall prey to it. Here’s what you need to know, and how you should respond if you’re contacted.
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How Does the Scam Work?
Phishing attempts, in which scammers send out emails or other types of messages in an attempt to extract vital information from victims, are getting more and more sophisticated. In this latest version, scammers are sending out emails to taxpayers that look very convincingly like they were issued by the IRS. The emails have a subject line indicating that a third round of economic impact payments is available, while the body suggests that recipients are owed a tax refund that they can claim by “submitting a document” and clicking a button in the email.
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How Can You Tell That This Is a Scam?
This particular scam is quite sophisticated. It uses the actual, legitimate IRS logo, making it seem official right off the bat. Next, it cleverly references a very popular program — the third economic stimulus payment — that was issued long enough ago that many taxpayers may not even remember if they received it or not. Seeing a message “from the IRS” that suggests they’re owed money and can claim it in an easy, straightforward manner is likely enough to dupe many taxpayers.
However, this phishing attempt is easily recognizable as a scam when you realize that the IRS will never, ever initiate contact with you via email, social media or text regarding either a bill or a tax refund. Instead, the agency will always contact you via a letter in the U.S. mail.
The next clue is that scam letters like these quite often contain factual or spelling errors. For example, in this particular scam, the message reads, “Our record indicate that…” and it also has an extra space at the end of one of its sentences. These types of simple grammatical errors should be reason enough to get you suspicious of the communication you’ve received.
How Does the IRS Recommend That You Respond?
The IRS has suggestions for how you should act when you receive any type of communication over email, text or social media that claims to be from the agency. The first and most important steps are that you don’t reply and that you don’t click on any links that it may contain. Additionally, you shouldn’t open any attachments. Not only will the IRS never contact you in this manner, it would most definitely not ask you to click on links or open attachments. Any documents that you need to submit to the agency will be requested from you, and any information the agency needs to share with you will be sent directly, not via an attachment.
Lastly, the IRS requests the help of the public when they receive these types of scam communications. Specifically, the IRS asks if you would forward the email as-is, preferably with the full email headers, to the agency directly at phishing@irs.gov. After you’ve sent the email, you should delete it.
What If You Already Clicked on a Link or Otherwise Sent Information Via Email?
Phishing emails like these aren’t sent by hackers for their own entertainment. Rather, they are managed by criminal enterprises seeking to get and use your personal information for their own financial gain. If you’ve clicked on a link in a phishing email or otherwise interacted with the message, it’s imperative that you protect your identity. The IRS suggests that you immediately visit the agency’s identity protection page at https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-central. The page both explains the types of common scams of which the IRS is aware and suggests steps you can take to protect yourself if you’ve become a victim.
The Bottom Line
Financial scams conducted electronically through email, text and social media are more prevalent than ever. But a few common sense defenses can help protect you from many of them. Remember that the IRS will never contact you via any other means than the U.S. mail, and it will never ask you to click on links or provide personal or financial information over email. If you’re ever in doubt about a communication you receive, call a number that you know to be legitimate and speak to a live person to verify that you’re not being scammed.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Stimulus Scam: Do Not Open IRS Emails About a Third Round of Checks
