Revenue Dept. warns taxpayers of e-mail scam

Published 7:18 pm Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The Alabama Department of Revenue is alerting taxpayers of an e-mail scam, in which taxpayers are reportedly advised by the ADOR that they are due an Alabama income tax refund.

In the e-mail communication, taxpayers are asked to click on a link provided in the e-mail and complete a “refund form.”

The ADOR advises that if you receive an e-mail from someone claiming to represent the ADOR and seeking personal or financial information do not reply. The Alabama Department of Revenue does not initiate taxpayer communications through e-mail.

Taxpayers are strongly cautioned not to open any suspicious e-mails or open any links. Links or attachments contained in the suspicious e-mail could contain malicious code that would infect the taxpayers’ computers.

Do not open any attachments, do not click on any links, and most important of all, do not provide any personal or financial information such as bank account numbers, credit card PIN numbers, or account passwords.

“Taxpayers should always use extreme caution when they receive unsolicited e-mails, from any source, especially those seeking any type of personal or financial information,” warned State Revenue Commissioner Tim Russell.