How to Report the IRS Survey Scam

The Internal Revenue Services does not send unsolicited emails to taxpayers. The IRS doesn't ask taxpayers for such personal information as passwords, credit card or other financial numbers. The IRS is most certainly not paying taxpayers $80 for participating in a "member satisfaction" survey. The "IRS Survey" is one of the latest scams known as "phishing," or attempting to steal personal and financial information. Read on to learn how to report the IRS Survey Scam.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Beware if you receive an email notifying you that, "You have been selected to participate in a survey for which the IRS will credit $80 to your account." The subject line refers to the IRS. The email contains a link to a "Member satisfaction survey." Don't click on the link.
2. Be suspicious if the email asks for your name, phone number and a credit card number. The purpose of the scam is to get access to financial information to withdraw money from your bank account, run up charges on your credit card or even take out loans in your name.
3. Don't open any attachments and don't click on any links in such emails.
4. Forward these suspicious emails to [e-mail].
5. Be on the lookout for other fraudulent IRS email scams. One of these tries to lure recipients to a fake IRS website and asks for bank account numbers. Another tells recipients that the IRS has a refund waiting for the taxpayer. A particularly scary scam warns taxpayers that the IRS "anti-fraud" office is investigating their tax returns.
6. Visit the real IRS web site for more information on these bogus emails and other phishing scams that purport to be from the IRS.
7. Contact the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration if you think you have been the victim of such a scam. The toll-free number is [phone].