The IRS is warning taxpayers about a new email phishing scam that appears to come from the IRS through a fictitious department called the "IRS Anti-Fraud Unit." In most cases, the email subject line references the Treasury Department's EFTPS (Electronic Federal Tax Payment System).  Different versions of these emails state that the recipient's tax payment has been rejected, or their credit card has been enrolled in the system by someone other than the taxpayer and has been blocked, or that there have been fraud attempts targeting the recipient's bank accounts. The recipient will be directed to click on a link which redirects to a phishing site that attempts to trick users into disclosing confidential financial information.

Please note: the IRS NEVER contacts taxpayers via unsolicited email asking for personal financial data. Any such email you receive now or in the future purporting to be from the IRS is fraudulent.

Steps to take:

1. DO NOT OPEN the email.
2. Forward the email unopened to phishing@irs.gov if possible. If you cannot forward the email without opening it, then delete it and empty the "trash" folder in your email system.
3. For more information, visit the IRS web site for updates on current phishing scams.

If you have any questions about your tax payments, please contact your HBK advisor.

For more information visit:

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=160334,00.html