Identity theft is a big problem, especially during tax filing season. Thieves use many phone and email scams to try and capture your personal information.
Remember, the IRS does NOT send information to taxpayers through email and does not initiate audits or lawsuits through the phone. These emails and phone calls seem very real, but they are fake. Any email “from the IRS” is fake and should be deleted immediately. Any phone call “from the IRS” stating you are being sued for tax penalties is a scam and you should ignore.
Some email scams look like they were sent by a real person from a real organization/school/university and simply ask you to open a pdf file. Delete these emails immediately.
Complaints may be filed with your state’s attorney general (Nebraska’s contact information can be found here – http://ago.nebraska.gov/).
Be wary of anything suspicious, including unusual messages that appear to be from our office or staff, as hackers have become extremely sophisticated in disguising their attacks.