Tax phishing goes global with FATCA

Scam artists impersonating the IRS have been requesting foreign financial account holders’ personal and account information, the IRS warned in a news release (IR-2014-92). Fraudsters have struck in “multiple countries and continents.” Personnel of foreign financial institutions may be duped because of new reporting provisions of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). However, the IRS said, it does not request specific information by phone, fax, or email regarding account holders’ identity or financial accounts, nor does it ask for FATCA registration passwords or confidential access information. Financial institutions may forward suspicious emails to phishing@irs.gov and report instances to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration on its secure website or by calling 800-366-4484.