I have been recieving emails almost every day- the address is donotreply@irs.gov, saying that I am owed a tax refund. When i click on it, it asks for my bank account or debit account info and says the funds will be direct deposited. It does have legitimate links to the irs wesite, but it still seems shady to me. I am actually owed a refund (but its from the state of pennsylvania, where i was in school- i had to prove that PA wasnt my state of residency). So basically i was just wondering if anyone has recieved these emails and whether it was a scam or not. How can i found out?
2007-09-25 03:47:17 · 9 answers · asked by Kristi 5 in Business & Finance ➔ Taxes ➔ United States
I thought they may have my email address because H&R block prepared my taxes and I gave it to them.
2007-09-25 04:02:58 · update #1
Go to the IRS web site www.irs.gov and on the main page click the link "Warning on Scam E-Mails." This is from the IRS web site:
"IRS Warns Taxpayers of New E-mail Scams
"Updated Sept. 19, 2007 — Another recent e-mail scam tells taxpayers that the IRS has calculated their "fiscal activity" and that they are eligible to receive a tax refund of a certain amount. Taxpayers receive a page of, or are sent to, a Web site (titled "Get Your Tax Refund!") that copies the appearance of the genuine "Where's My Refund?" interactive page on the genuine IRS Web site. Like the real "Where's My Refund?" page, taxpayers are asked to enter their SSNs and filing status. However, the phony Web page asks taxpayers to enter their credit card account numbers instead of the exact amount of refund as shown on their tax return, as the real "Where's My Refund?" page does. Moreover, the IRS does not send e-mails to taxpayers to advise them of refunds or to request financial information."
2007-09-25 06:21:04 · answer #1 · answered by MukatA 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It is a scam. There has been a warning about these lately. How would the IRS know that you are owed a refund if you haven't filed 2007 taxes yet? And also, how would they know your e-mail address? There's nowhere on the tax return form for that. Just delete it, it's a scam 100%.
I've attached a warning from the IRS regarding these scam e-mails.
Even if you gave your e-mail address to H&R Block they use it to contact you or for their own information purposes, nothing goes to the IRS about your e-mail address. Trust us all, it's a scam 100% pure and simple.
Also, depending on your computer, if you wave your mouse over the blue link that they want you to click on, the real website address should pop up towards the bottom of your computer screen, and I can guarantee you it will have nothing to do with the IRS.
2007-09-25 04:00:29 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi, I got an email in the spam folder that looks much the same. I think that there were 2 attachments in the email I got. I didn't click on them. There were some words that were misspelled. I deleted the email. Not too long ago I got an email supposedly from Fedex and I clicked on th attachment and a virus had taken over the computer. I had to get the computer fixed. I would never click on any attachment again. The virus took the computer over and the computer was completely disabled. The email is for sure a scam.
2016-04-06 00:27:52 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm an office manager in an accounting firm and some of our clients have got this email.
First of all the IRS would NEVER ask for your acct info in an email...did you ever wonder how the IRS got your email addy in the first place?
Its a scam
Also I can put a link up here to the IRS website and that doesnt prove that I work for them
2007-09-25 03:55:55 · answer #4 · answered by stolen car 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The IRS doesn't email people..they send letters or a check if you are owed money...also watch for other phishing scams like ebay, yahoo, myspace, banks and others...it's recommended if you get a email requesting private information that you call them or go directly to your account and update it there and not fill out any forms that may be sent.
2007-09-25 03:59:05 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
The IRS never contacts taxpayers by e-mail. EVER! They don't have your e-mail address; there's no place to put it on a tax return anyway.
This is a SCAM. Delete the e-mail. Do NOT give out any of your bank details to these scammers! (And if you have, contact your bank immediately!)
2007-09-25 04:24:01 · answer #6 · answered by Bostonian In MO 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It is a scam. IRS will not send you emails and probably does not know your email address.
2007-09-25 03:49:38 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, the link doesn't really take you to the IRS site, they just make it look like that. Read http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=170894,00.html on the REAL IRS website.
2007-09-25 03:55:57 · answer #8 · answered by Judy 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Scam,scam,scam. Never give out your financial info.
2007-09-25 05:34:07 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋