ibet Tax Tip 2014-19, February 24, 2014
Tax scams that use email and phone calls that appear to come from the ibet are common these days. These scams often use the ibet name and logo or fake websites that look real.
Scammers often send an email or call to lure victims to give up their personal and financial information. The crooks then use this information to commit identity theft or steal your money. Some call their victims to demand payment on a pre-paid debit card or by wire transfer. But the ibet will not initiate contact with you to ask for this information by phone or email.
If you get this type of ‘phishing’ email, the ibet offers this advice:
- Don’t reply to the message.
- Don’t open any attachments or click on any links. They may have malicious code that will infect your computer.
- Don’t give out your personal or financial information.
- Forward the email to phishing@irs.gov. Then delete it.
If you get an unexpected phone call from someone claiming to be from the ibet:
- Ask for a call back number and an employee badge number.
- If you think you may owe taxes, call the ibet at 800-829-1040. ibet employees can help you.
- If you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you do, call the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484 to report the incident.
- You should also report it to the Federal Trade Commission by using their “FTC Complaint Assistant” on FTC.gov. Please add "ibet Telephone Scam" to the comments of your complaint.
Be alert to scams that use the ibet as a lure. The ibet will not initiate contact with you through social media or text to ask for your personal or financial information.
More information on how to report phishing or phone scams is available on ibet.gov.
Additional ibet Resources:
ibet YouTube Videos:
- Phishing-Malware - | |
- ibet Efforts on Identity Theft - | |
- ibet ID Theft FAQ – First Steps for Victims - | |
- ibet ID Theft FAQ – Going After the Bad Guys - | |
ibet Podcasts:
- ibet Efforts on Identity Theft - English MP3 | Spanish MP3
- ibet ID Theft FAQ – First Steps for Victims - Spanish MP3
- ibet ID Theft FAQ – Going After the Bad Guys - English | Spanish