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IRS warns of phishing scams in tax season

US consumers are being warned to keep an eye out for phishing scams that aim to cheat them out of their money as the tax season takes centre stage.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a warning to individuals across the country to watch out for a new scam that claims to offer them a rebate as long they fill in a form first.

Details being requested include a social security number, credit card number and other personal information such as names and date of birth.

However, responding to the requests is not a wise thing to do, warns the tax body.

The IRS states that it never contacts individuals by electronic mail to request such information and any correspondence would routinely be sent to tax payers' last known physical address.

Internet security experts advice against responding to unsolicited emails as this could create a backdoor for theft of sensitive personal information, which could lead to ID theft and online fraud.

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