ASK THE DA: Week of February 23
I recently watched a news report warning about Internet fraud with tax refunds. Can you offer advice on how best to protect ourselves from such criminals?
During this time of year, consumers are warned about scams involving the receipt of unsolicited emails claiming to be from the IRS or some IRS-related office. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email or any social media tools to request personal or financial information.
Phishing is a scam that is usually done by sending unsolicited emails, and/or websites that pose as legitimate sites in order to lure unsuspecting people into providing personal or financial information. If you receive an email claiming to be from the IRS that contains a request for personal information, do not reply and do not open any attachments as the attachments may infect your computer. Also, do not click on any links.