The Internal Revenue Service recently warned taxpayers and tax professionals about a new IRS impersonation scam campaign spreading nationally on email. The emails, ostensibly about the taxpayer’s refund, electronic return or tax account, contain a password to “access” files that turn out to be malicious.
Subject line examples include the phrases “Automatic Income Tax Reminder” and “Electronic Tax Return Reminder.” Using numerous compromised websites and web addresses that pose as IRS.gov, malware infects those computers that access them.
Although the agency is taking steps to shut down the scam, it reminds people that it never initiates contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information.