Many Iowans are already seeing W-2 and 10-99 forms arrive in their mailboxes, reminding us about tax time. Identity thieves are trying to take advantage of Iowans by posing as the IRS. Consumer advocate Glen Loyd says it’s just the latest in a long line of schemes aimed at making money off your good name.
Loyd says the phishing scams never stop and the latest one with the IRS aims to lure people by telling them they have some money coming back. The e-mail directs Iowans to a website that looks identical to the real IRS website, but he says, don’t be fooled.
He says they’ve duplicated the real IRS website and then ask you to put personal information in so they can steal your identity. Loyd says the IRS would never try to reach individual Iowans using e-mail, at least not the first time.
He says the IRS wouldn’t contact you by e-mail, it would be with a letter through the mail. He says if you get an e-mail claiming to be from the IRS, you should just ignore it. For more information, got to the agency’s authentic website .