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Stay Vigilant Against Bogus IRS Phone Calls and Emails Tips to Protect your SSN and Identifiable Information Keep your card and any other docu- ment that shows your Social Securi- ty number in a safe place; DO NOT routinely carry your card or other documents that display your num- ber. Be careful about sharing your num- ber, even when you are asked for it; ONLY share your SSN when abso- lutely necessary. Protect your personal financial in- formation at home and on your computer. Check your credit report annually. Check your Social Security Admin- istration earnings statement annual- ly. Protect your personal computers by using firewalls, anti-spam/virus software, update security patches and change passwords for Internet accounts. Protect your personally identifiable information; keep it private. Only provide your SSN when YOU initi- ate the contact or you are sure who you know is asking. If you’ve been a victim of a data breach, follow the steps recommended by the Federal Trade Commission’s www.identitytheft.gov If your SSN was compromised, follow the steps outlined in the Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft. 1402 River View Drive Cody, WY 82414 Phone: 307) 527-8720 Fax: (307) 527-8722 DISPATCH PHONE NUMBER (307) 527-8700 IRS Identity Protection Tips Cody Police Department IDENTITY PROTECTION TIPS ---PAGE BREAK--- If you think you may owe taxes: Ask for a call back number and an employee badge number. Call the IRS at 1-[PHONE REDACTED]. IRS em- ployees can help you. What to do if you receive a suspicious IRS- related communication If you receive and email : Don’t reply Don’t open any attachments. They can con- tain malicious code that may infect your computer or mobile phone. Don’t click on any links. Visit our identity of protection page if you clicked on links in a suspicious email or website and entered con- fidential information. Forward the email as-is at [EMAIL REDACTED]. Don’t forward scanned images because this removes valuable information. Delete original email. If you receive a phone call: Record the employee’s name, badge number, call back number and caller ID if available. Call 1-[PHONE REDACTED] to determine if the call- er is an IRS employee with legitimate need to contact you. If the person calling you is an IRS employee, call them back. If not, report the incident to TIGTA and to us at [EMAIL REDACTED] (Subject: IRS Phone Sam’) If you receive a letter, notice or form via paper mail or fax claiming to be IRS and you sus- pect they are not an IRS employee. Go to the IRS home page and search on the letter, notice, or form number. Fraud- sters often modify legitimate IRS letters. You can also find information at Under- standing Your Notice or Letter or search- ing Forms and Pubs. If it is legitimate, you’ll find instructions on how to respond or complete the form. If you don’t find information on our web- site or the instructions are different from what you were told to do in the letter, no- tice of form, call 1-[PHONE REDACTED] to deter- mine if it’s legitimate. If it’s not legitimate, report the incident to TIGTA and to us at [EMAIL REDACTED]. IRS TAX TIPS Tax scams take many different forms. Re- cently, the most common scams are phone calls and emails from thieves who pretend to be from the IRS. They use the IRS name, logo or a fake website to try to steal your money. They may try to steal your identity too. Here are several tips from the IRS to help you avoid being a victim of these tax scams: The real IRS will not: Initiate contact with you by phone, email, text or social media to ask for your personal or financial information. Call you and demand immediate pay- ment. The IRS will not call about taxes you owe without first mailing you a bill. Require that you pay your taxes a certain way. For example, telling you to pay with a prepaid debit card. Be wary if you get a phone call from some- one who claims to be from the IRS and de- mands that you pay immediately. If you don’t owe taxes or have nor reason to think that you do: Report these calls and other IRS imper- sonation schemes to the Treasury Inspec- tor General for Tax Administration at 1- [PHONE REDACTED] or online at IRS Imper- sonation Scam Reporting. If you discover a website that claims to be the IRS but does not begin with “www.irs.gov,” forward the link to [EMAIL REDACTED].