According to Lipton, the IRS has issued several consumer warnings on the fraudulent use of the IRS name or logo by scamsters to gain access to consumer’s financial data in order to steal their assets.

As this is the peak tax-filing season, said Lipton, “these scamsters will try to trick taxpayers into disclosing personal and financial data leading to identity theft.” Such ‘phishing’ schemes look official and ask the recipient to provide sensitive personal data, such as Social Security numbers, bank account information or other key identification information.

As a general rule, Lipton said, the IRS does not send out unsolicited e-mails. “If you do receive any inquiries from any individual or entity claiming to be the Internal Revenue Service or a state taxing authority, we advise that you first forward the inquiry to your accountant prior to responding.”