Such honor among thieves would be almost heartening if the damage wreaked on everyday taxpayers wasn’t so heinous. With phishing attacks on the rise, a consumer’s best defense is a good offense. One of the simplest, when it comes to tax refund fraud: File your taxes early to beat would-be scammers to the punch.
Phishing emails are designed to tempt or panic people. Reminding yourself that the IRS will not send e-mails about your income tax return gives you the upper hand. No matter how enticing—or scary—the supposed offer or threat is in the supposed IRS letter, which will try to entice you into clicking on a link, or opening a file, resist, and forward the fishing attempt to the IRS at [email protected].
Consider it a small step in an ongoing war.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.