The following information comes from a Wheaton Police Department press release.
The Wheaton Police Department has been alerted by a number of residents about a new telephone and email phishing fraud.
The telephone calls and emails appear to be from the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service and include a bogus case number and the following message:
“Your reported 2013 income is flagged for review due to a document processing error. Your case has been forwarded to the Taxpayer Advocate Service for resolution assistance. To avoid delays processing your 2013 filing, contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service for resolution assistance.”
The recipient is instructed to click on links that supposedly provide information about the “advocate” assigned to their case or that let them “review reported income.” The links lead to web pages that then solicit personal information.
Taxpayers who receive such messages should not respond to the phone calls or emails or click on the links. Instead, they should forward the scam emails to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.
The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is a legitimate IRS organization that helps taxpayers resolve federal tax issues that have not been resolved through the normal IRS channels. The IRS, including TAS, does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email, texting or any social media.
Residents may contact the IRS customer service line at 1-800-829-4933 to verify the validity of a telephone call or email.
The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
