IRS warns taxpayers of new mailing refund scam
Agency says letter scam seeks sensitive personal information
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The Internal Revenue Service warned taxpayers this month to be aware of a new scam mailing that aims to mislead people into believing they are owed a refund.
It comes in a cardboard envelope from a delivery service, and the enclosed letter includes the agency's masthead and wording that the notice is "in relation to your unclaimed refund."
The letter includes contact information and a phone number that do not belong to the IRS.
It also seeks sensitive personal information, including pictures of driver's licenses.
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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building in Washington, D.C. (STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The letter tells the recipients they need to provide "Filing Information" for their refund, including a cellphone number, bank routing information, a Social Security number and bank account type.
This information can be used by identify thieves to try to obtain a tax refund and other sensitive financial information.
"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," IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a statement. "These scams can come in through email, text or even in special mailings. People should be careful to watch out for red flags that clearly mark these as IRS scams."
Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Daniel Werfel testifies during the Senate Finance Committee hearing on "The President's Fiscal Year 2024 IRS Budget and the IRS's 2023 Filing Season," in the Dirksen Building on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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There are a variety of warning signs, including strange punctuation, a mixture of fonts and inaccuracies.
The letter says the deadline for filing tax refunds is Oct. 17, but the deadline for people on extension for their 2022 tax returns is actually Oct. 16.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images / Getty Images)
In addition, the IRS handles tax refunds and not "unclaimed property."
The IRS never initiates contact with taxpayers by email, text or social media regarding a bill or tax refund.
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The IRS and Security Summit partners – a coalition among the IRS, state tax administrators and the nation's tax industry – regularly warn people about common scams, including the annual IRS Dirty Dozen list.