Beware Snail Mail Purporting to Be from the IRS. It’s common to be targeted by scammers via email, phone, and texts, but the IRS warned of a new tax scam that’s sent right to your front door.
Scammers are enticing people into providing private information by pretending to be the IRS with news of a tax refund, and it comes as a mailing in a cardboard envelope from a delivery service. (The IRS didn’t say if scammers prefer USPS, UPS, or FedEx.)
The IRS warned: “The enclosed letter includes the IRS masthead and wording that the notice is “in relation to your unclaimed refund.” The letter tells the recipients they need to provide “Filing Information” for their refund, as well as more sensitive information including cell phone number, bank routing information, Social Security number and bank account type.”
The IRS said scammers are using the unusual mailing to try to trick people into sending photos, bank account information, and other personal information to steal their identities and money, including tax refunds.
“An unusual feature of this scam is that it tries tricking people to email or phone very detailed personal information in hopes of stealing valuable information,” according to the IRS, which also explained:
“Like many scams, the letter includes contact information and a phone number that do not belong to the IRS. But it also seeks a variety of sensitive personal information from taxpayers – including detailed pictures of driver’s licenses – that can be used to by identity thieves to try obtaining a tax refund and other sensitive financial information.”
In addition, the letter asks for sensitive information including cellphone number, bank routing information, Social Security number and bank account type.
While the IRS said the letter contains a variety of warning signs, including odd punctuation and a mixture of fonts as well as inaccuracies, it may be best to remain skeptical even if those signs aren’t present.
Conventional wisdom also suggests that if identity thieves are using delivery companies to perpetrate this type of fraud, it’s likely they will use mailers to perpetrate other types of scams as well.
The IRS offered additional advice that people should heed:
“The IRS also warns taxpayers to be wary of messages that appear to be from friends or family but that are possibly stolen or compromised email or text accounts from someone they know. This remains a popular way to target individuals and tax preparers for a variety of scams. Individuals should verify the identity of the sender by using another communication method; for instance, calling a number they independently know to be accurate, not the number provided in the email or text.”
