Senator Farley Warns Of An Internet Scam Concerning The Irs

With this being tax season, State Senator Hugh T. Farley (R, C - Schenectady) stresses constituents should be leery if they receive an e-mail from the Internal Revenue Service asking them for personal information.

"This e-mail is a scam and is not from the IRS. This fake message promises the IRS will give you a tax refund if you give them some personal information such as a Social Security number," Senator Farley said. "Whoever designed this message made it look authentic by using the IRS logo."

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance is alerting consumers about this scam and the Commissioner himself has received a copy of this e-mail. Senator Farley and this department warn people that this bogus e-mail comes from tax-refunds@irs.gov. This offer is not real.

"Do not open any attachments coming with this e-mail," Senator Farley said. "You never know if a virus is attached to it."

If you are not sure if you are entitled to a refund, call the IRS at (800) 829-1040 to determine if the agency is trying to contact you about a refund.