IRS Warns of Scam Targeting .Edu Email Addresses

Inside Higher Ed 

Rick Seltzer

April 1, 2021

The Internal Revenue Service is warning about a tax refund scam from IRS impersonators who are targeting those who work at colleges and universities, as well as their students.

People with email addresses ending in .edu have been reporting email phishing attempts in recent weeks. The attempts appear to target staff members and students at all types of institutions — public, private, nonprofit and for-profit.

Emails display the IRS logo and feature subject lines like “Tax Refund Payment” and “Recalculation of your tax refund payment.” They ask recipients to click a link and submit a form that includes sensitive information.

Those receiving such messages should not click on the links in the messages, according to the IRS.

The IRS published a set of instructions for sending copies of the phishing emails to authorities. Those instructions also cover what to do for those whose tax returns are rejected because someone has already filed a return with their Social Security number.

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