How to Report and Identify Phishing, E-mail Scams and Bogus IRS Web Sites

• The IRS does not initiate taxpayer communications through e-mail.

• The IRS does not request detailed personal information through e-mail.
• The IRS does not send e-mail requesting your PIN numbers, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.
• Report suspicious e-mails and bogus IRS Web sites to phishing@irs.gov.

If you receive an e-mail from someone claiming to be the IRS or directing you to an IRS site,

• Do not reply.
• Do not open any attachments. Attachments may contain malicious code that will infect your computer.
• Do not click on any links. If you clicked on links in a suspicious e-mail or phishing Web site and entered confidential information, visit our Identity Theft page.
• Use the following steps to report the e-mail or bogus Web site to the IRS.

How to report phishing, e-mail scams and bogus IRS Web sites
If you receive an e-mail or find a Web site you think is pretending to be the IRS,

• Forward the e-mail or Web site URL to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.
• You can forward the message as received or provide the Internet header of the e-mail. The Internet header has additional information to help us locate the sender.
• After you forward the e-mail or header information to us, delete the message.

How to identify phishing e-mail scams and bogus IRS Web sites

• Sample of phishing e-mails
  • First sample of an actual phishing e-mail - PDF
  • Second sample of an actual phishing e-mail - PDF
  
  
• All IRS.gov Web page addresses begin with, http://www.irs.gov/.
  
  • Is it a phishing Web site? - PDF
• Are you a victim of Identity Theft?
  • Contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338)
  • Visit the IRS Identity Theft resource page

You may also report misuse of the IRS name, logo, forms or other IRS property to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration toll-free at 1-800-366-4484.