Community Corner
IRS, Sheriff’s Warn To Protect Your Identity Against Phishing Scams
With summer in full swing, the opportunities for identity theft and other related crimes are heightened.
The message from several government agencies this summer is: Protect your personal information.
With people vacationing and freely using credit or debit cards, the potential for identity theft is at an all-time high, according to the Internal Revenue Service and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s.
Phishing scams, which are typically carried out by unsolicited e-mail and/or websites that pose as legitimate sites to lure unsuspecting victims to provide personal and financial information, are also on the rise, the IRS warns.
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In a news release, the IRS said it does not initiate taxpayer communications through e-mail. It suggests you click the hyperlink here for information from the Internal Revenue Service: http://www.irs.gov/privacy/article/0,,id=179820,00.html.
Should you find you have been the victim of a phishing scam, the IRS asks that you report it to phishing@irs.gov.
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However, if you have experienced monetary losses due to an IRS-related incident, the IRS asks that you file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission through their Complaint Assistant to make that information available to investigators: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=en&OrgCode=IRS.
The IRS is working in partnership with the LA County Sheriff’s Department and asks that you report crime by contacting your local Sheriff’s station. Or if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.
