Scam Alert - IRS Notice CP53E

SCAM ALERT! We have been made aware of a fake IRS notice being mailed to members. This fake IRS notice invited the recipient to scan a QR code and enter their banking information. First, the IRS will not ask you to submit your banking information via email, text, or over the phone. The only way to update your banking information is through your IRS Online Account.

Remember, you can always log in to your IRS Online Account to see your notices, visit Where’s My Refund? to see the status of your refund, or call the official IRS phone number:1-800-829-1040 for additional information. If you don’t have an IRS Online Account, you can easily establish one at the link provided above.

Additionally, IRS notices will come through the mail. So, if someone calls, texts, or emails you saying that you need to give them your banking information, that is a scam.

Always beware of links and QR codes within notices.While a legitimate notice may contain a QR code to take you to IRS.gov, fake notices may point you to malicious websites that are made to look as though they are the real IRS website. When in doubt, go directly to the IRS website to look for information regarding your notice.

It’s important to remember that the IRS will never:

• Call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, iTunes gift card, or wire transfer;
• Ask a taxpayer to make a payment to a person or organization other than the U.S. Treasury;
• Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to arrest the taxpayer for not paying; or
• Demand payment of taxes without giving the taxpayer the opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed.

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