Criminals are constantly coming up with new ways to scam honest people. As tax season nears, we're already seeing reports of scam emails posing as the IRS to get the recipients banking information.

We ask that our residents remain vigilant and NEVER give your banking information, social security number or other identifying information over the phone or online to someone claiming to be from the IRS. The elderly are regularly targeted by these criminals. Please consider taking the time now to talk to your friends and family about protecting your information and identity against criminals.  

If you receive one of these phishing emails or phone calls, please report it here:

• Do not open any attachments or click on any links contained in the emails. Instead, forward the email to phishing@irs.gov.
• Contact the IRS Identity Theft Hotline at 1-800-908-4490
• If you feel that you were a victim of fraud and your information has been compromised, make a police report. UMPD will walk you through the next steps to minimizing the breach. 

Here is an example of what we see. Please note that an official email from the IRS will not be addressed to "taxpayer" and will not come from a Yahoo email account. If it looks suspicious, IT'S PROBABLY A SCAM!