IRS, Summit partners issue urgent EFIN scam alert to tax professionals..2/10/2021

[Elrod]

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service, state tax agencies and tax industry today warned tax professionals of a new scam email that impersonates the IRS and attempts to steal Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFINs).

The Security Summit partners said the latest scheme, arriving just before the start of the nation's tax season, should serve as another reminder that tax professionals remain prime targets for identity thieves. These thieves try to steal client data and tax preparers' identities that will allow them to file fraudulent tax returns for refunds.

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-summit-partners-issue-urgent-efin-scam-alert-to-tax-professionals

[JoeFreitag]

When the IRS insists that you include an email address on returns, they are perpetuating these fraudulent activities. They tell you they will never contact you via email, insist on receiving your email address and then act shocked that people think it's reasonable the IRS would contact them via email about tax matters.