Protecting Your Financial Personal Information

8/5/2011 - By Staff Writer

Phishing sounds like something you might enjoy doing on a hot summer day. Phishing, unlike fishing, can be dangerous…that is to your personal information. Phishing is a scam typically carried out through unsolicited email or through websites claiming to be legitimate sites which lure the unsuspecting victims to provide personal information such as social security numbers, credit card numbers or passwords.

Be aware that the IRS does not initiate taxpayer communication through email or request detailed personal information through email.

If you receive a suspicious IRS communication, do not reply, open attachments, or click on links, instead simply forward to phishing@irs.gov and put "suspicious email or website" in the subject line and then delete the email. The IRS tries to respond to these suspicious emails within 24 hours, but not necessarily with an email. If a website was involved, check to see if it was shut down.