It’s tax season and a new crop of scammers are “phishing” across the internet. Many scams involve the scammer posing as representatives of the IRS. These scams have a higher success rate than some others. Not everyone receiving a scam email will have a Paypal or Ebay account nor do they bank at a particular financial institution. But everyone pays taxes (with a few exceptions).

Last year’s tax scam is still going strong. The taxpayer receives an email alerting him to a tax refund he is owed and directed to a site where he is asked to input personal information. The scammer then has what he was phishing for.

This year taxpayers are receiving emails stating that the recipient has been selected for an “e-audit”. Again, the purpose of the email is identity theft. The IRS states it does not conduct audits online and has no such program.

The IRS wants taxpayers to know that the IRS does not use e-mail to initiate contact with taxpayers about issues related to their accounts.

These scams are for the sole purpose of collecting sensitive personal identification about the recipient and often ask for social security numbers and credit card numbers. If you receive an email that purports to be from the IRS or if you have any questions regarding contact from the IRS, call 1-800-829-1040 to confirm it.