Yes, the Internal Revenue Service has a real Taxpayer Advocate Service.
No, this IRS branch is NOT emailing notices to taxpayers about forwarding their “case” to that service for “resolution assistance.”
Sure, the notice might seem official, down to an IRS case number. But the real officials at IRS say the agency simply does not initiate contact with taxpayers through email – or texting or social media, for that matter.
It’s the latest phishing scam using the IRS name to dupe the public. People who respond are sent through some links to Web pages where they are asked for their personal information. In short, the electronic thieves often are trying to make money by stealing your identity.
The IRS is warning taxpayers not to respond or click through the links. Instead, delete it or forward it to scam experts at [email protected].
Lately, scam-mongers have used the IRS to prey on taxpayers a couple of times. Recently, the Treasury Department, which operates IRS, warned the public about phone calls from thieves posing as IRS agents. To find more information about dealing with taxpayer-related scams, check online at www.irs.gov/uac/Report-phishing.
By the way, the actual job of the Taxpayer Advocate Service is to help taxpayers settle issues that have not been resolved through normal channels.
Eric Buechler, proprietor of EricJohn Ltd., is an enrolled agent with the IRS. Enrolled agents are licensed and specially trained to represent clients before the IRS.