MONROE, La. (KNOE) – Jo Ann Deal wth the Better Business Bureau of Monroe says that fraudsters are mailing counterfeit IRS CP53E notices with a QR code asking the recipient to “verify” banking or identity information.
Deal says that QR code leads to a phishing site built to steal personal and financial data.
She says that the IRS does include QR codes on some legitimate notices, and a QR code alone is not proof of a scam. Deal says that the Taxpayer Advocate Service notes the CP53E one-page notice explains that the IRS couldn’t process the taxpayer’s refund through direct deposit and instructs them to update their bank account information. She says you can do that through your IRS online account, which the notice links to using both a URL and a QR code.
Deal recommends to always verify a notice before scanning or paying. She says you can search for its CP or LTR number on the IRS’s website section “Understanding your IRS notice or letter.” Go to IRS.gov/notices and enter the number from the upper-right corner of your letter. If the number is valid, the site returns a detailed explanation of why that notice gets sent and what actions are expected from you.
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