The IRS does not send taxpayers unsolicited e-mails about their tax accounts, tax situations or personal tax issues. If you receive such an e-mail, most likely it's a scam.  These schemes may take place via phone, fax, Internet sites, social networking sites and particularly e-mail.  Many impersonations are identity theft scams that try to trick victims into revealing personal and financial information that can be used to access their financial accounts. Some e-mail scams contain attachments or links like PDFs or reports that, when clicked, download malicous code (a virus) that infects your computer or direct you to a bogus form or site posing as a genuine IRS form or Web site. 

Some impersonations may be commercial Internet sites that consumers unknowingly visit, thinking they're accessing the genuine IRS Web site, IRS.gov. However, such sites have no connection to the IRS.

Taxpayers who receive a suspicious e-mail claiming to come from the IRS should take the following steps:

• Avoid opening any attachments to the e-mail, in case they contain malicious code that will infect your computer.
• Avoid clicking on any links, for the same reason. Alternatively, the links may connect to a phony IRS Web site that appears authentic and then prompts for personal identifiers, bank or credit card account numbers or PINs.
• Visit the IRS Web site, www.irs.gov, to use the “Where’s My Refund?” interactive tool to determine if they are really getting a refund, rather than responding to the e-mail message.
• Forward the suspicious e-mail or url address to the IRS mailbox phishing@irs.gov, then delete the e-mail from their inbox.

The IRS website has lots of news on current scams and ways to protect yourself. Visit it for the latest information.

December 31, 2010 is the last day financial institutions, including Bank of Ann Arbor, are allowed to accept Federal Tax Deposit (also known as TT&L or IRS Form 8109) coupons. Businesses are now required to pay those taxes electronically, beginning January 1, 2011. To make a payment or learn more, please visit www.eftps.gov/eftps.

In late October 2010, EFTPS planned to pre-enroll all businesses that have used a coupon for any tax type on the coupon in the past 18 months.

Businesses will receive a personal identification number (PIN) in the mail. Then, they can enter their banking account information using the EFTPS VRS (voice response system), and begin scheduling payments that day via the VRS or www.eftps.gov. (They will need to call an automated line for a password, but that takes just seconds). The packet will include a letter from the IRS stating the intent to stop coupon processing on December 31, 2010.

If your business did not receive a packet, you’ll want to enroll now as it takes approximately seven days to receive a PIN from EFTPS. Enroll at www.eftps.gov.