In a press release on July 3, the Internal Revenue Service issued a warning to taxpayers regarding a fresh scam utilizing cardboard envelopes delivered by a courier service.
The envelopes, which display the IRS masthead, contain a message informing recipients that the correspondence pertains to their unclaimed refund.
The agency has urged Americans to be cautious and not to be deceived by this fraudulent scheme, as its intention is to gather sensitive personal information for the purpose of identity theft.
“This is just the latest in the long string of attempts by identity thieves posing as the IRS in hopes of tricking people into providing valuable personal information to steal identities and money, including tax refunds,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel.
“These scams can come in through email, text or even in special mailings,” he continued. “People should be careful to watch out for red flags that clearly mark these as IRS scams.”
“The IRS, in a press release, emphasized the significance of remaining vigilant and safeguarding personal information to combat tax-related identity theft, as urged by the Security Summit, a collaborative effort between the IRS, state tax administrators, and the private-sector tax industry.
According to the IRS statement, the provided phone number and contact details are incorrect. These fraudulent letters, masquerading as legitimate sources, solicit sensitive personal information.
The scam becomes especially concerning due to its specific demands for personal data, such as photographs of the recipient’s driver’s license. The scammers employ awkward language, characterized by misspellings and unusual punctuation.
One poorly worded example from the deceptive mailing reads as follows: ‘A Clear Phone of Your Driver’s License That Clearly Displays All Four (4) Angles, Taken in a Place with Good Lighting.’
Commissioner Werfel urged the public to exercise caution and remain vigilant for signs of such fraudulent activities.”
“The IRS never initiates contact with taxpayers by email, text or social media regarding a bill or tax refund,” the commissioner said in the release.
The IRS advises against interacting with unsolicited communications that claim to be from their organization and cautions against opening suspicious attachments or clicking on links contained in these messages.
If any emails or messages raise suspicion, individuals are encouraged to report them to the IRS at [email protected]. By doing so, they contribute to the ongoing efforts of the IRS to safeguard American taxpayers against these fraudulent schemes.
