Protect Your Personal Information

Protect Your Personal Information: The IRS Does Not Initiate Taxpayer Communications through Email

Phishing is a scam typically carried out by unsolicited email and/or websites that pose as legitimate sites and lure unsuspecting victims to provide personal and financial information. You receive an email claiming to be from the IRS that contains a request for personal information …

  1. Do not reply.
  2. Do not open any attachments. Attachments may contain malicious code that will infect your computer.
  3. Do not click on any links.
    If you clicked on links in a suspicious email or phishing website and entered confidential information, visit our identity protection page.
  4. Forward the email as-is, to phishing@irs.gov.
  5. After you forward the email and/or header information to us, delete the original email message you received.