Be Aware of New Mail Scam Targeting Taxpayers

The IRS is warning taxpayers about a new mail scam misleading individuals into sending personal information to receive their alleged tax refund. The scheme involves a letter that is seemingly from the IRS with an IRS masthead and wording including "in relation to your unclaimed refund." This letter seeks a variety of personal information from the victim, such as driver's license photos and bank account information. After the victim fills out the information and sends it back, the scammers will use the personal information to steal identities and money.

To prevent this scam from happening to you, watch out for red flags such as awkward wording, odd punctuation, and other inaccuracies that prove it is not a real government notice. These scams can come in the form of an email or text message as well. Please note, the IRS never initiates contact with taxpayers by email or text regarding a bill or tax refund. 

Individuals can report scams by emailing the digital scam to phishing@irs.gov or follow the instructions at the IRS website Report Phishing | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov) and Tax Fraud Alerts | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov).