Clues to identify phony IRS phishing emails

Written by Carl E. Reid on December 10, 2008

Clues to identify phony IRS phishing emailsDave Young with News 2 in Colorado reported today of phishing emails that appear to come from the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The IRS is the U.S. government’s agency for collecting taxes.

“People get nervous when they hear from the IRS,” says Denver/Boulder, Colorado Better Business Bureau CEO Jean Herman, “And I think smart people might be more likely to respond to something from the IRS, but the IRS does not correspond with Americans using email.”

The very official looking “phishing” scam even names Laura Stevens at the IRS as your contact person and asks for all your personal information including your mother’s maiden name.

Here are a few clues for quickly identifying phony IRS phishing emails:

As an email administrator, this is extremely important information to pass on your email user community. There is a thought the upcoming holidays may bring more of these types of emails.  Back in April 2008 2,000 plus executives were hoodwinked with similar types of official looking phishing emails.

The IRS does not initiate taxpayer communications through e-mail.

  • The IRS does not request detailed personal information through email.
  • The IRS does not send email requesting your PIN numbers, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.

If you receive an e-mail from someone claiming to be the IRS or directing you to an IRS site,

  • Do not reply.
  • Do not open any attachments. Attachments may contain malicious code that will infect your computer.
  • Do not click on any links. If you clicked on links in a suspicious email or phishing Web site and entered confidential information, visit their Identity Theft page.

If you receive an email or find a Web site you think is pretending to be the IRS,

  • Forward the email or Web site URL to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.
  • You can forward the message as received or provide the Internet header of the email. The Internet header has additional information to help them locate the sender.
  • After you forward the email or header information, delete the message.

How to identify phishing email scams and bogus IRS Web sites -

  • Sample of phishing emails that appear to come from the IRS:

- First sample of an actual phishing e-mail
- Second sample of an actual phishing e-mail

About Carl E. Reid

Developing his career from the mail room to the board room, Carl E. Reid has achieved success by skillfully blending 40 years of technology and business intelligence experience with his passion for helping companies succeed. Carl is founder and CEO of NetTECH Systems Reid & Associates, Inc., an emerging technology consulting company located in the New York City area. One of his specialties is 15 years as a collaboration and email infrastructure consultant. He has implemented and supported Lotus Notes/Domino and other types of SMTP gateway/network configurations in small to large global companies up to 33,000 employees. Some of his clients have included IBM, Citi, JPMChase, Oxygen, LVMH - Moet Hennessy, MeadWestvaco, non-profits and professional organizations. Carl is a Savvy Business Owner, Public Speaker and Author. His articles have appeared in Network World, Computer Monthly magazines and hundreds of web sites. Combining business technology consulting with professional blogging, Carl specializes in advising clients how to best leverage the Internet as a tool for high impact visibility. Carl's speaking style combines humor with expertise, and his advice is always down-to-earth and practical. He personally publishes Library of Congress recognized newsletter blog, http://www.SavvyIntrapreneur.com and http://www.iTechSpeak.com. Carl wrote the original "Professional Blogger Job Description", being used as standard document within companies. As a business career coach, Carl teaches professionals how to run their career as a profitable business.
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