Is This IRS Letter Real? How to Spot Scams and Phishing

Scammers copy the look of IRS letters because a threatening tax notice gets a fast reaction. If you are holding a letter, a text or a voicemail that claims to be from the IRS and you are not sure it is real, slow down. A genuine notice survives a few minutes of checking. A scam usually does not.

What the IRS does and does not do

The IRS says it normally begins contact through the U.S. Postal Service. Even in cases that later involve calls or visits, taxpayers usually receive several letters first. Authorized private collection agencies also contact people by mail.

According to the IRS, it does not:

• Call to demand immediate payment by prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer.
• Demand payment without giving you the chance to question or appeal the amount.
• Threaten arrest, deportation, or to send local police or immigration officers.
• Ask you to make a payment to anyone other than the U.S. Treasury.
• Contact taxpayers by social media or text message.

Revenue officers can visit a home or business, and they carry credentials you have a right to see. A visit alone is not a scam, but a demand for gift cards or wire transfers is.

Warning signs on a letter or email

• A threat to act "today" or "now or else," or pressure to pay before you can check.
• A return address that is not the Internal Revenue Service.
• Spelling errors, odd web links, or links that do not lead to a .gov address.
• An unexpected tax bill, "unclaimed refund," "tax lien" or "tax debt relief" offer from a company you never contacted.
• A request for financial account details or login credentials by email or text.

How to verify a notice

1. Check the notice number. Look in the upper right corner and compare it with the IRS's own notices and letters page. Our notices by number table lists many common ones.
2. Sign in to your IRS Online Account. It shows your balance, payments and many digital notices. If you owe nothing there, treat a payment demand with suspicion.
3. Find the phone number yourself. Use the contact information on irs.gov rather than a number printed in a message you doubt. The IRS lists separate help lines for individuals, businesses and others.
4. Look at the website address. Official IRS pages use a .gov address and a secure connection. Type the address into your browser instead of clicking a link.
5. Ask for a second opinion. A CPA can compare the notice with your transcripts in minutes.

A real notice also matches your history. If it describes a return you never filed, an employer you never had, or a year that does not fit your life, that is worth investigating even if the letter looks genuine, because it can signal identity theft. See identity theft and the IRS.

If you think it is a scam

• Do not reply, click links or open attachments.
• For email, forward it to the IRS phishing mailbox listed on the IRS page for reporting fake messages, then delete it. For text messages, the IRS asks you to report the text with details of the sender and time received.
• For calls, note the number, hang up, and report to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the Federal Trade Commission.
• For fake letters offering unclaimed refunds, lien services or tax debt relief, the IRS suggests reporting them to the U.S. Postal Service and the FTC.

If you already paid or shared information

The IRS says to stop interacting with the scammer immediately and not to send more money. Then:

• Contact your bank or card company.
• Report identity theft at the Federal Trade Commission's identity theft site.
• Ask the IRS for an Identity Protection PIN to help block fraudulent returns filed with your number.
• If someone filed a return using your information, the IRS directs victims to Form 14039, the Identity Theft Affidavit.

How we can help

We can look at a notice, tell you whether it matches your IRS records, and help you respond if it is genuine, including speaking with the IRS for you under a signed Form 2848. If your identity was misused, we can help you work through the IRS process. See our IRS representation services or contact us.

Frequently asked questions

General information only, not tax, legal or accounting advice for your situation. Rules, limits and deadlines change; confirm the current rules with the official source or a qualified professional before you act. Reading this page does not create a professional relationship with CPA Tax Payroll and Accounting Corp.