Consumer Alert
The IRS has issued a warning to "taxpayers to be on the alert for e-mails and phone calls they may receive which claim to come from the IRS or other federal agency and which mention their tax refund or economic stimulus payment."

The IRS states that "these are almost certainly a scam whose purpose is to obtain personal and financial information — such as name, Social Security number, bank account and credit card or even PIN numbers — from taxpayers which can be used by the scammers to commit identity theft."

The IRS has stated that "e-mails and calls usually state that the IRS needs the information to process a refund or stimulus payment or deposit it into the taxpayer's bank account. The e-mails often contain links or attachments to what appears to be the IRS Web site or an IRS "refund application form. The IRS does not send taxpayers e-mails about their tax accounts."

The IRS states that "the only way to get a tax refund or stimulus payment, or to arrange for a direct deposit, is to file a tax return."

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