The last two years have provided new material for scammers who leverage IRS fears and COVID relief programs into their schemes. Be aware of how the IRS normally communicates to taxpayers.

• When the IRS needs to contact a taxpayer, the first contact is normally by letter delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. Fraudsters will often claim they already notified the taxpayer by U.S. mail.
• The IRS doesn’t normally initiate contact with taxpayers by email. Do not reply to an email from someone who claims to be from the IRS because the IRS email address could be spoofed or fake.
• The IRS does not send text messages or contact people through social media. Fraudsters will impersonate legitimate government agents and agencies on social media and try to initiate contact with taxpayers.
• Just because someone references an IRS notice in email, phone call, text, or social media, does not mean the request is legitimate.
• The IRS will not demand tax or special fee payments by gift cards, wire transfers or meeting an ‘agent’ at your financial institution to pay in cash.

If you receive a notice or contact, you can go to irs.gov, Understanding Your IRS Notice or Letter and search for your IRS Notice. If the search doesn’t return a result, or you believe the notice or letter looks suspicious, contact the IRS at 800-829-1040. You should also contact a Mierendorf representative to review the IRS Notice or Letter.