5 Tips to Avoid Federal Government Email Scams

So you've received a legitimate looking email. You notice warnings about violating the law, mentions about paying taxes, and official looking links. Beware! It is a scam! Educate yourself to avoid financial ruin!

1. Federal Government email scams tip #1: Sensitive Information

First and foremost, consumers need to be aware that the Federal Government does not, and I repeat, does not, send out emails regarding sensitive/timely business. Should your online tax return fail to complete, your tax ID fail to be received, or any other tax-related issue occur, the IRS will contact you directly, by mail. Email, as we all know (and the government knows!) is not 100% safe or secure. Therefore, any legitimate business with the Federal Goverment, the IRS, the CIA, the FBI - anyone - will not occur via the Internet. Should you receive an email from anyone claiming to be one of these entities, chances are, it is a scam email.

2. Federal Government email scams tip #2: Communication

Email scams rarely, if ever, include legitimate phone numbers or other contact information. Should such information be provided, check it out! Don't believe everything you read. It could be that the phone number, address, links to 'official' forms, or email addresses are copied or cloned from official sources. However, using them to reach the Federal Goverment or other Government entities will not result in legitimate communication. When in doubt, look up the real phone number or address for the party in question, then use these communication tools to inquire about the email. Chances are, thru communications with legitimate, listed means, you will discover that the message from the Federal Goverment was nothing but the latest attempt at email fraud!

3. Federal Government email scams tip #3: Strange Email Characters

Preview of Federal Government Email Scam? Beware! - Page 3So you just got an email in your inbox from the Government. You waste no time opening it, and concern about your tax return rushes thru your mind. Did you forget to itemize something? Do you owe the IRS? As you scan the email, everything looks to be on the up and up, except for one keyAdvertisement component: Some of the letters are different colors, have lines thru them, or seem off centered. In some locations, one or two letters in the middle of a word are itallicized, while the rest remain 'normal'. Perhaps the email uses different colors for different letters within the same word or set of words. You might also notice that some letters, at random, have a strange line running thru them, underneath them, beside them, or anywhere unusual. These are indicators of a foreign-used translation software. When the software cannot properly translate the strange looking, non-English letters of another language, it will come up with the next best option but leave these lines behind. Email scam artists are often far too busy sending out emails to remove or correct these problems. If your Federal Government email includes words that seem out of place, miscolored, or strangely shaped letters, chances are, its a scam email!

4. Federal Government email scams tip $4: Links in Email

Any legitimate communication from the Federal Government will not request that you, the recipient, click any links. Rather, they will suggest that you go to the official website for the sending party, follow the links for the business in question, and complete the transaction. Remember, in the vast majority of cases, the Federal Government will NOT, and I repeat, will NOT send you any emails at all. But, in the extremely rare case that you should receive a legitimate email, it will not ask you to travel to any embedded links. If you see links, followed by requests to click on said links, rest assured, its a scam email!

5. Federal Government email scams tip #5: Click and Paste

If you get an email from the Federal Government and you want to know if its for real, this easy test will put your mind at ease. Fake, phishing, or fraud emails will often include strange characters or exclusions that we cannot see with our naked eyes. Select all of the questionable email, copy, then paste into a wordpad, Word, or other word processing document. If the email is a scam or fake, there will be portions of the text missing, or you may see additional text that was otherwise hidden in the original email.

By becoming familiar with the common methods that internet scam artists use, you can avoid financial fraud. Don't be the latest victim of a scam email involving the Federal Government, or anyone else for that matter!

Want to see what a fake Federal Government email looks like? Follow this link to see an email that we recently received, which we copied and shared with the online community!

www.associatedcontent.com/article/5950212/federal_government_email_scam_beware.html

Sources:

Personal experiences in receiving, replying to, and investigating fraudulent emails.
Phone call with the IRS on 10-18-10
Phone call with the Social Security Administration 10-18-10
Phone call with the administration at the State of Oklahoma capital on 10-19-10