Officials Warn of E-mail Phishing Scam

The Internal Revenue Service is warning New Jersey residents to be on the lookout for an email phishing scam that targets Department of Defense military members, retirees and civilian employees, the agency said in a news release. 

The phony email appears to come from Defense Finance and Accounting Services and displays a .mil email address, IRS spokeswoman Dianne Besunder said in a statement. The message claims that those receiving disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs may be able to obtain additional funds from the IRS.

Email recipients are then asked to send various VA and IRS documents revealing personal and financial information, including copies of Veterans Affairs award letters and their income tax returns, to an address in Florida.

“The information on these documents is then used by the scammers to commit identity theft. Typically, identity thieves use someone’s personal data to empty the victim’s financial accounts, run up charges on the victim’s existing credit cards or apply for new loans, credit cards, services or benefits in the victim’s name,” Besunder said in the statement. 

The IRS said it does not send unsolicited email to taxpayers and never asks for personal and financial information such as PIN numbers, passwords or similar secret information for financial accounts.

More information on tax related phishing scams is available at keyword “phishing” scams on www.irs.gov.