The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is warning taxpayers to be on the lookout for phony e-mails that appear to be from IRS employees. The e-mails attempt to get personal information such as social security numbers, account numbers, and passwords that may be used in identity theft or to gain access to financial accounts.

The IRS never sends unsolicited e-mails nor does it request personal or financial information in e-mails. The IRS has set up a special e-mail address to forward such e-mails using instructions provided by the IRS. The IRS recommends you delete such messages after you have forwarded them.

Although no system is foolproof in preventing identity theft, Vision Payroll recommends vigilance in dealing with personal information, combined with a service such as LifeLock® to help detect certain types of identity theft.