Here's an interesting warning on scammers that everyone needs to pay attention to. The warning came from an email newsletter that I receive from Cohns Loans, in Albany, California.

The logo looks real. The message appears to be sent from admin@irs.gov. The "copyright 2006 IRS" at the end of the message seems authentic. It may look like the IRS, but it's scammers who are swamping consumers' e-mail inboxes with messages notifying them of an audit or offering access to a refund. The fraudsters' aim is to collect your Social Security number, credit card account number, and bank information. "We've seen an explosion of this scam this year," said an IRS spokeswoman.

In recent weeks, consumer complaints about the e-mail scams are pouring in at the rate of about 100 a day on average. So far, 12 Web sites operated in 18 countries perpetrating this or similar types of IRS-related fraud was found.

It's no wonder consumers get lured into providing sensitive data. One of the messages (see sample below) directs consumers to click on a link to collect their refund. Not only does the message look authentic, but the Web site that appears when you click on the link looks eerily similar to the official IRS.gov Web page. Scammers copied the official IRS logo, and even the type font matches the IRS site. And, if you click on the "Home" button, it takes you to the official IRS site, at www.IRS.gov. The fake Web site also includes an authentic-looking privacy policy that says "Internal Revenue Code Section 6109 allows us to request your Social Security Number." The only oddities are the Web site address at the top of the page -- which starts with "http://tzk.kozle.pl" -- and the information requested, which includes your Social Security number and credit card information "where you want the refund to be made."

IRS won't e-mail you.

Taxpayers take note: The IRS generally does not send e-mail messages to taxpayers. They do not communicate with taxpayers via e-mail. They may send you a letter, may call you, but they do not send out e-mail.The bulk of the scams have been through e-mail, though sometimes fraudsters will mail a regular letter, or even call taxpayers. If taxpayers get any communication that purports to be from the IRS and if they're not sure that it's a legitimate correspondence and it's asking for financial information, they need to call the IRS and check it out.

"Some of these e-mail scams that we saw, they would not only ask for your bank account number, they would ask for your password to your bank account -- something we would never ask for," an IRS spokesman said. Still, "we do communicate with taxpayers probably more frequently than people think. It's not just through audits". "People forget to sign their tax return, or they got their bank account information wrong on their direct deposit. There are a number of other reasons we would call people, but taxpayers need to double-check and bring some skepticism to these communications, not just with the IRS but with anyone calling and requesting financial information," the spokesman said. To find out whether a communication you received from the IRS is legitimate, call the IRS at 800-829-1040. Ask them to confirm that the IRS is trying to contact you.

One should consult with a qualified tax professional prior to implementing taxation strategies.