As the government continues to dole out economic stimulus checks, far too many taxpayers are still falling victim to World Wide Web scams preying on the confusion about their payments.

One such scam that has become prevalent abundant to warrant a warning from the FBI is a spam e-mail that claims to be from the Internal Revenue Service. The e-mail is causing confusion considering, although it’s not from the IRS, it does contain relatively accurate info.

“The fastest and easiest way to receive your refund is by direct deposit to your checking/savings explanation,” the e-mail reads.

That part of the statement is true. But whether you did not receive your tax returns via direct deposit, it’s too late to switch now. To get your refund deposited directly into your detail, you would have needed to file for direct deposit on your regular tax return, which was due April 15. Those who signed up for direct deposit to receive their

tax returns have already received their stimulus checks.

But the e-mail offers a bogus opportunity to switch to direct deposit. The e-mail provides a link to a structure, claiming those who fill it out will have their payment directly deposited to their bank accounts. In reality the data it seeks — such as bank PIN numbers, passwords, detail numbers and routing numbers — will not help you get your payment faster. But it will help a thief steal your identity.

E-mail scams, which are often called “phishing” scams, can be easy to identify. For example, the IRS never contacts taxpayers via e-mail.

So whether you get an e-mail purporting to be from the IRS, just delete it. Better yet, forward the e-mail to phishing@irs.gov. That way, you can help the IRS warn others about such scams.

And whether you haven’t yet received your stimulus payment, you don’t have…

Orginal post by Top Tech News