# IRS tax refund notice via email? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 5, 2007, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-tax-refund-notice-via-email/386772 "2007-01-05T03:27:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-tax-refund-notice-via-email/386772/1 "2007-01-05T03:27:24Z")
I received a notice that says it’s from the IRS, with a legit-looking “letterhead” and that after calculating my “fiscal activity” they say I’m eligible to receive a tax refund of a specific amount (under 50) and that I have to click on a "click here" link to get to the "tax refund request". I'd quote the whole thing but it says it's copyrighted by the IRS. The dollar figure format reads 33.33 so it looks phony as does the properties view of their email address-the word “receive” in it is spelled wrong (has a letter missing) and ends, afet the @, in “[online.irs.gov](http://online.irs.gov)”. (no us). I’m very leery about clicking on unsolicited links from “strangers”. Does the IRS do business this way? Anybody ever received/heard of such a contact.? I have never filed electronically, only on paper. There are no people’s names on it, just “Regards, Internal Revenue Service”. What should I do? What should I do? Will check here tomorrow. … ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-tax-refund-notice-via-email/386772/2 "2007-01-05T03:36:53Z")
[Phishing scam.](http://www.snopes.com/fraud/phishing/irs2006.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-tax-refund-notice-via-email/386772/3 "2007-01-05T03:38:24Z")
It’s a total fraud. See [IRS Refund Notification | Snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com/fraud/phishing/irs2006.asp). ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-tax-refund-notice-via-email/386772/4 "2007-01-05T03:39:12Z")
Gotta be a scam. I think I got a similar one, but I just marked it as spam. I bet if you moused over the link and looked at the URL it would be nowhere near the simple [http://www.irs.gov](http://www.irs.gov). Post the whole thing anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-tax-refund-notice-via-email/386772/5 "2007-01-06T01:05:20Z")
Thanks, all. It was exactly like the phishing notice shown on snopes but with a different $ amount. You’d think the gummint would be able to find/fine those 'uckers. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-tax-refund-notice-via-email/386772/6 "2007-01-06T01:15:08Z")
[QUOTE=Ignatz] Thanks, all. It was exactly like the phishing notice shown on snopes but with a different $ amount. You’d think the gummint would be able to find/fine those 'uckers. [/QUOTE] Even the mighty US gummint can do shit about scammers from Nigeria. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-tax-refund-notice-via-email/386772/7 "2007-01-06T02:29:56Z")
[QUOTE=friedo] Even the mighty US gummint can do shit about scammers from Nigeria. [/QUOTE] Nuke them from orbit, its the only way to be sure… ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-tax-refund-notice-via-email/386772/8 "2007-01-06T03:58:27Z")
Also, when’s the last time you gave your e-mail address to the IRS, along with all your identifying information (SSN, etc.)? And how would they know that you haven’t changed it, or that the person reading the e-mail is you? And works published by the U.S. government are not copyrightable. [Cite.](http://cendi.dtic.mil/publications/04-8copyright.html#312)