The IRS said the scam email uses the emblem of both the IRS and the FBI and tries to entice users to select a "here" link to download a fake FBI questionnaire.
Instead, the link downloads a certain type of malware called ransomware that prevents users from accessing data stored on their device unless they pay money to the scammers.
“This is a new twist on an old scheme,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said in a news release. “People should stay vigilant against email scams that try to impersonate the IRS and other agencies that try to lure you into clicking a link or opening an attachment. People with a tax issue won’t get their first contact from the IRS with a threatening email or phone call."
The IRS said victims of such scams should not pay a ransom. Paying it will only further encourage the perpetrators, and frequently the scammers will not provide the decryption key even after the ransom is paid.
Those who are victims of a ransomware attack should report it to the FBI at the Internet Crime Complaint Center, www.IC3.gov, and forward any IRS-themed scams to phishing@irs.gov.
©2017 The Sentinel (Carlisle, Pa.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.