Friday, February 18, 2011
COLUMBUS — Attorney General Mike DeWine today warned Ohioans to watch for e-mail messages and letters that claim to be from the Internal Revenue Service, but are actually scams designed to capture personal information.
"Scam artists know that this is tax season, and they are trying to confuse consumers who are preparing to file their taxes," DeWine said. "The IRS will not communicate with you via e-mail to tell you about a problem with your taxes, and you should not click on links in any suspicious e-mail messages."
A Franklin County resident said he received an e-mail message that appeared to be from the Internal Revenue Service. The e-mail indicated that the consumer was late in submitting his W-2 form and instructed him to click on a link to send the updated form. Fortunately, the consumer recognized that the e-mail was a scam, and he did not click on the link nor provide any personal information.
Another consumer from Cuyahoga County reported receiving a phony 1099 form in an envelope marked "important tax return information." The bogus form stated that the consumer had won $61,000.