IRS Tax Scams Abound – Fake CP2000 Forms

IRS tax scams abound: the IRS and its Security Summit partners issued an alert on September 22 about the most recent scam, this one involving a fake email with a fraudulent CP2000 attachment.  The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has been notified and the issue is under investigation.

The CP2000 notice is a common notice mailed to taxpayers via the U.S. postal service.  It is never sent out via email to taxpayers.  According to the notice, key indicators of a fraudulent CP2000 notice are:

• These notices are being sent electronically, even though the IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email or through social media platforms
• The CP 2000 notices appear to be issued from an Austin, Texas, address
• The underreported issue is related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requesting information regarding 2014 coverage
• The payment voucher lists the letter number as 105C

In addition, the fake notices ask the taxpayer to send a check made payable to “I.R.S.” to a fake PO Box at the Austin Processing Center.  The real notice would ask for the check to be made payable to the U.S. Treasury.

Taxpayers or tax professionals who receive this scam email should forward it to phishing@irs.gov  and then delete it from their email account.  More information and a copy of the IRS alert can be found on the IRS website.

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