Tax season is here again. Every year, millions of people fall victim to cyber crimes, such as phishing and identity theft, which occur frequently during tax season.1 In fact, data from the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration indicates that Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-related scams have cost taxpayers over $50 million since 2013.2
Tax season is a popular time for scammers to try to lure you into providing personal information or paying money. Scammers may also try to impersonate the IRS to ask you to verify tax return information or make a tax payment. Avoid becoming a victim this tax season — take the proper precautions to protect personal and Postal Service™ information from these common tax scams:
n Phishing Scams. Pay close attention to emails that contain the IRS logo. Scammers may send emails that resemble “official communications” from the IRS, impersonate tax and software companies to ask you about refunds and transcript information, or even lure you into a fake tax website. Do not click on any links or open any attachments from suspicious emails claiming to be from the IRS. The IRS will never send an email to you requesting immediate payment or action.
n Phone Scams. Watch out for phone calls from unknown numbers claiming to be from the IRS. Scammers may impersonate an IRS agent and give you a fake IRS badge number to appear credible. Don’t be fooled — the IRS will never call you to demand payment, threaten you with law enforcement, or ask you for a debit or credit card number.
If you believe you’ve been a victim of tax fraud in any form, contact the IRS.3 You may also report instances of IRS-related phishing attempts and fraud to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.
As always, please report any suspicious activity encountered on Postal Service systems, networks, or equipment to the CyberSecurity Operations Center at CyberSafe@usps.gov. If you see something suspicious, say something.
For more information on reporting suspected threats to the Postal Service, check out the new public-facing CyberSafe at USPS™ website at https://uspscybersafe.com/ or the CyberSafe at USPS pages on Blue (https://blue.usps.gov/cyber/) and LiteBlue (https://liteblue.usps.gov/cyber/).
Falling victim to cyber crime puts both you and the Postal Service at risk, so stay vigilant and cybersafe this tax season.
— Corporate Information Security Office,
Chief Information Security Officer
and Digital Solutions, 3-2-17
