IRS warns of tax refund email scam targeting college students. What to know
The IRS is urging university students to be wary of emails purporting to have information about their tax refund payments.
The federal agency said it has received several complaints about a phishing scam that appears to target students and staff at educational institutions, both private and public.
The ruse targets people with email addresses ending in .edu, officials said.
Officials said the phony emails look real, often displaying the IRS logo and a subject line that reads “Tax Refund Payment” or “Recalculation of your tax refund payment,” according to a news release. Recipients are then prompted to click a link and submit a form with their personal information in order to claim their supposed refund.
The website may also ask for other taxpayer information including date of birth, driver’s license number, current address and ZIP code.
Do not open the link, the IRS warns. Instead, it should be reported immediately to the appropriate authorities.
“For security reasons, save the email using ‘save as; and then send that attachment to phishing@irs.gov or forward the email as an attachment to phishing@irs.gov,” the agency said. “The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and IRS Criminal Investigation have been notified.”
Those who believe they’ve fallen victim to the email scam should considering getting an Identity Protection PIN, a six-digit number that prevents identity thieves from filing fax tax returns using their personal information.
To protect yourself from internet scams, the Better Business Bureau advises against sending money or wire transfers to people you don’t know, opening links or attachments in unsolicited emails, and sharing personal identifiable information online.
This story was originally published March 31, 2021 at 10:15 AM with the headline "IRS warns of tax refund email scam targeting college students. What to know."