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Us Treasury And Irs Warn Of Identity Theft Scheme Involving Bogus Internet Web Site

The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service are warning taxpayers of an e-mail-based scheme that attempts to trick taxpayers into revealing personal information, such as Social Security Number, driver’s license information, and bank and credit card numbers.

In this ploy, unsuspecting consumers receive an e-mail, claiming they are under investigation for tax fraud and are subject to prosecution. The e-mail informs recipients they can “help the investigation” by providing “real” information and directs them to an official-looking web site – http://deptreas.org/irs/7634// - where detailed personal information must be provided to dispute the charge.

Identity thieves can then use the information provided to take over their financial account, run up charges on their credit cards, apply for loans, credit cards or other services in the victim’s name and file fraudulent tax returns.

At the request of the IRS and the U.S. Treasury, the Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), the Internet service provider that was hosting the web site has shut that site down. However, it could surface again with a new web site. The scheme is being investigated by TIGTA, which addresses threats to federal tax administration.

The IRS does not use e-mail to contact taxpayers about issues related to their accounts. Official taxpayer contact will come in the form of a letter on IRS stationery, in an IRS envelope. And the letter will contain a contact phone number.

If you receive any communication from the IRS and are unsure of its validity, you can contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040, and a representative will verify your account status to determine if the communication is legitimate.