Daytona Beach, FL - I received an email from IRS.gov that gave me what most people would consider good news. The problem? The IRS does not send unsolicited emails. The email said I was eligible to receive a tax refund of $443.80. Something to look at closely is the email address that it came from. The address on the one I received was comprised of an assortment of letters and numbers followed by the domain "att-mail.com."
If you look closely at the photo attached to this story, you'll see the email is definitely not real. The second line in the top blue section spells the word "Department" as "Departament." The email informs that "submitting invalid records or applying after the deadline" and drops the "e" at the end down to the next line.
The email offers "to access the form for your tax refund, please click the button below." Please do not click the button. Scam IRS emails will often threaten criminal action, as mine did. "Deliberate wrong inputs are criminally pursued and indicated."
IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig said his agency is working hard but so are identity thieves. "Keep your computers and your mobile phones secure. Use antivirus software and strong passwords. Look out for email scams. Secure your home wi-fi with a password. Look for https in the web address." You can find more information about IRS scams at IRS.gov.
