We’re now less than a month away from April 18 — the final deadline to file your personal tax return.
Sensing the urgency, the scammers are ratcheting up their attempts to con you with desperate last-minute email scams!
Read more: Have a tax dispute with the IRS? These organizations can help
Beware of scam emails that appear to be from tax software providers
The IRS warns that taxpayers may encounter scam emails purporting to be from their tax software provider prompting them to update their online account.
It’s a classic phishing ploy, though you may be more familiar with it coming in the guise of an email from a bank, a credit card company or the like.
But the scammers have gotten increasingly more brazen in their attempts to steal your money. Some of them even masquerade as the IRS itself now to trick you!
Don’t be fooled by the variations on this basic phishing scam because all the scammers want the same thing: Your passwords, Social Security numbers, bank account info or credit card numbers.
3 ways you can spot a phishing scam
1. Check the address where it’s being sent from. In the example above, it’s from a real oddball address — [email protected] — that clearly has nothing to do with TurboTax.
2. Mouse over the ‘click here,’ ‘sign in’ or in this case the ‘verify now’ and you’ll see the page it wants to redirect you to won’t be affiliated with the tax prep software company it seems to be coming from.
3. If you make the mistake of clicking through, DO NOT ENTER ANY INFO! If you do, you’ll fall right into the hands of the criminals who will clean out your account.
The IRS only contacts people via snail mail. Never by unsolicited emails asking you to give up sensitive info!
Remember, the warning signs are there if you know what to look for.
If you get an email like this one, forward it to the IRS at [email protected].
Read more: Your chances of an audit are way down — unless you fit into one of these 15 categories
How to file your taxes for free regardless of your income
Source: How to file your taxes for free regardless of your income by Clark on Rumble
