Scammers impersonating the Internal Revenue Service are perfecting the art of fraud, according to a new report.
Scams posing as official IRS communication have been around for years — the problem is they become more credible every year, according to research from Abnormal Security, an email security company. The news was first reported by cybersecurity news site Bleeping Computer.
This time, a fake IRS email targeting users of Microsoft’s Office 365 is making the rounds, estimated to have reached as many as 70,000 inboxes, according to a blog summarizing the research.
The fake email claims it has been sent to collect payments. It also threatens to press legal charges.
What makes it more convincing than the usual scam is the attacker’s spoofing technique and language.
The email appears to originate from the “irs.gov” domain, “a credible impersonation of the IRS,” Abnormal Security says.
“The IRS will never initiate contact with taxpayers via email about a tax bill, refund or Economic Impact Payments,” according to an advisory from the IRS.
“Don’t click on links claiming to be from the IRS. Be wary of emails and websites − they may be nothing more than scams to steal personal information,” the IRS said.
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