Internet scams are always out there, and with the tax changes made for 2009, the opportunists are at it, as usual.  One of the recent scams involves the Making Work Pay tax credit.

There’s a lot of conversation regarding “Make Work Pay.”  Some taxpayers are under the misconception that they will receive a check in the mail, like the stimulus.  In actuality the “Make Work Pay” tax credit is a reduction in your tax rate that you should be able to see as an increase in your take home pay.

The Internet scammers are doing their best to take advantage of the misconceptions of the Making Work Pay tax credit.  The way the scam works is that unsuspecting taxpayers receive an email that is designed to look like official correspondence from the Internal Revenue Service.  In the body of the email, the taxpayer is informed that they have not yet taken advantage of their Making Work Pay tax credit and that they need to act before the opportunity expires.  They are then asked to respond to the email with all of their personal information such as legal name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number.

Once this information is provided, the Internet scammer can effectively steal this person’s identity, resulting in untold problems and even credit hassles.

What you need to know in order to guard against this scam is that the Internal Revenue Service never initiates contact with a taxpayer by email.  They will always send mail via the U.S. Postal Service.  So, any email that you receive that is purported to be from the Internal Revenue Service is fraudulent.  Delete it and be done.  Do yourself a favor and do not open it.  Some other scams incorporate malicious files and viruses into emails disguised as correspondence from the Internal Revenue Service.

If you feel uncomfortable about deleting something that says it is from the Internal Revenue Service, call them and ask if they sent you something.

Just don’t open it.

Chintamani Abhyankar, is a well known expert in the field of finance and taxation for last 25 years. His famous Tax eBook “Stop donating your money to IRS” which is now running in its second edition, provides intricate knowledge and valuable tips on personal finance and income tax. Just visit his website http://www.planningyourtax.com/ and claim your FREE eBook.

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