There is a fraud risk that you need to be aware of. It is related to the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System and everyone should be on their toes, due to the fact that we are smack dab in the middle of tax season. This scam is targeting EFTPS users and the scheme uses an e-mail that claims your tax payment was rejected and takes you to a website that requires you to present more information. However the website contains malware that will attempt to infect your computer. If you receive a message claiming to be from the IRS or EFTPS you should do the following.

1. Do not reply to the sender, nor should you access the links on the site or submit any information to them.
2. If you receive this message in your inbox you should forward the message as it was sent to you and immediately send it to the department that handles this at phishing@irs.gov.
3. Do not reply if you get contacted in one of these 7 ways:

• Do not reply if you receive an unsolicited e-mail or fax, involving a stock or share purchase.
• You receive an unsolicited fax claiming to be from the IRS, requesting personal information.
• You receive an unsolicited fax claiming to be from the IRS, requesting personal information.
• If you receive an email claiming to be from the IRS that contains a request for personal information.
• You discover a website on the Internet that claims to be the IRS but you suspect it is bogus.
• You receive a phone call or paper letter via mail from an individual claiming to be the IRS but you suspect they are not an IRS employee.

1. If you receive a suspicious e-mail or discover a website posing as the IRS, please forward the e-mail or URL information to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.
2. EFTPS is a tax payment system provided free by the U.S. Department of Treasury. You can pay federal taxes via the Internet or phone anytime of the day with this system. Visit EFTPS to enroll, and beware if you get contacted by this system, because phishers are using this as well.

The Internal Revenue Service has issued several recent consumer warnings on the fraudulent use of the IRS name or logo by online scammers trying to gain access to consumers’ financial information in order to steal their identity and assets. There is good news; you can protect yourself from these kinds of attacks. Be aware of suspicious emails, letter, faxes etc that you get. To learn more about Identity Theft Protection visit us at Connect Your Home or call (888)566-3979.