Media contact: Janet C. Hart, APR, CFEE (704) 927-8617 office
CHARLOTTE,
N.C. – If you have received your W-2 form from your employer, the Better
Business Bureau has a warning for you about a new identity theft scam involving
emails from the ‘IRS’ that the BBB has not seen before. This new scam is
‘phishing’ for your W-2 form information.
The
BBB wants you to know the red flags that immediately signal scams:
- The
IRS is NOT going to email you. They will send you a letter if they need more
information from you. This also applies to your bank, the FBI, or your credit
cards. None of these companies or agencies are going to email you and instruct
you to click on a link to provide personal information.
- W-2
forms are NOT submitted by individual taxpayers until you file your income tax
return, they are submitted to the IRS by your employer.
- You
should NEVER click on any links in unknown emails. Clicking on the links could
infect your computer with viruses and spyware.
- You
should NEVER give out personal information such as your wages, social security
number, home address and birth date to anyone who emails you or calls you.
These pieces of information are like GOLD to scammers because they would
have everything they need to steal your identity.
- Misspelled
words – In this email, the word ‘submission’ is spelled incorrectly which means
that English is probably not the first language for the sender who is probably
located in another country.
For
more information or to check out a company online, please visit www.bbb.org.
###
ACTUAL EMAIL
From: update@irs.gov.us
Sent: 1/21/2011 4:37:41 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
Subj: Important: W-2 form update
We would like to inform you that
as of the 21th of January you are late in updating your W-2 form submition with the new updated version. Please send us your completed W-2
update form by 02/01/2011. The updated version of the W-2 form please click on the link below:
(LINK REMOVED)
