Fraudulent email posing as the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility

Nov. 10, 2011:

There is a phishing email risk you need to be aware of. It is a message claiming to be from the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility.

What to look for:

  • The subject line contains the text Acquire new EIN.
  • The body of the message instructs the recipient to obtain a new Employer Identification Number in connection with fraudulent actions on your behalf.
    • (Note that the text in the subject line and/or body of the message may read differently, but the message is similar.)

What to do if you receive such a message:

  1. Do not reply to the sender, access links contained in the email or submit any information.
  2. Forward the message as-is immediately to us at phishing@irs.gov.
  3. Review How to report and identify phishing, email scams and bogus IRS websites.
  4. If you receive a suspicious email or discover a website posing as the IRS, please forward the email or URL information to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.

Remember:

The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels.