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The IRS has received numerous reports of scammers sending a fraudulent version of a notice- labeled CP2000 - for tax year 2015. The issue has been reported to the Treasury Inspector General for investigation.
The fake CP2000 emails usually include a payment request that taxpayers mail a check made out to “I.R.S.” to the “Austin Processing Center” at a Post Office Box address. This is in addition to a “payment” link within the email itself.
A real CP2000 notice is mailed to taxpayers, it is never sent as part of an email, IRS officials said.
Indicators that the emails are fake include:
- The notice is sent by email, even though the IRS never contacts residents through social media;
- The CP2000 notices appear to be issued from an Austin, Texas, address;
- The underreported issue is related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requesting information regarding 2014 coverage;
- The payment voucher lists the letter number as 105C.
Taxpayers or tax professionals who receive this scam email should forward it to phishing@irs.gov and then delete it from their email account.
An authentic CP2000 notice is used when income reported from third-party sources such as an employer does not match the income reported on the tax return. Unlike the fake, it provides extensive instructions to taxpayers about what to do if they agree or disagree that additional tax is owed. A real notice requests that checks be made out to “United States Treasury.”
Taxpayers should always beware of any unsolicited email purported to be from the IRS or any unknown source. They should never open an attachment or click on a link within an email sent by sources they do not know.
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