How will the IRS Contact Me?
Ask Ashley
Question:
I got an email from the IRS. Is it real?
Ashley L Madden, CPA, CFP®
If you get an email from what appears to be the Internal Revenue Service, it is probably a scam.
What Do I Need To Look Out For?
Beware of IRS Scammers. Our team has recently been made aware of a very realistic email sent, “from the IRS,” to one of our clients. The email looked very realistic indicating it was from the IRS and included the IRS logo.
But, if you looked closely, you could see that even though the email said it was from “IRS.gov,” the actual email address was not in any way associated with IRS.gov.
The content of the email indicated the taxpayer was due an additional tax refund from the economic stimulus payments and prompted them to “Claim” their payment with a button in the email. While we likely don’t mind money coming our way, this is a scam.
Correspondence from the IRS is always sent via letter. The IRS does not use emails, text messages, or social media to make initial inquiries with you. And, they will only call you after written correspondence in very select situations.
Hopefully you will not get an IRS scam email, but if you do, do not share any personal information or click any buttons or links within the email.
With all this talk about scams, here is a (legitimate!) IRS.gov website news update on how to avoid scams and know the facts on how the IRS contacts taxpayers.
As the CPA for Hutchinson Family Offices, I am available to assist you with any questions about income tax matters, including the legitimacy of correspondence you may receieve from the IRS.
Ashley L Madden, CPA, CFP®
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