Received "You Have a New Notification in Your Online Account" Email from IRS - Is this Legitimate?

The email displays classic signs of a phishing scam attempting to impersonate the IRS. The OCR shows generic greeting "Dear Taxpayer" rather than using your specific name, which is a red flag since the IRS would use your name if you actually had an online account. The line claiming "We won't initiate email contact with you without your consent" is particularly deceptive - it's trying to preemptively address suspicions while contradicting the IRS's well-known policy of never initiating contact via email. The IRS logo appears at the top of the message, but scammers commonly copy official logos to appear legitimate. The vague "You Have a New Notification" language is designed to create urgency while being non-specific - another common phishing tactic. This is absolutely a scam. The IRS communicates through official postal mail for important notifications. Never click links in emails claiming to be from the IRS. If you need to check your tax account, manually type IRS.gov into your browser and log in there directly. You can also report this phishing attempt to phishing@irs.gov.

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I got the same email last week lol. Straight to trash where it belongs 🗑️

NEVER trust emails claiming to be from the IRS. Like ever. They only send snail mail.

Report it to phishing@irs.gov - they track these scams

The IRS website literally has a warning about this exact scam rn. Stay safe yall

Good catch on staying cautious! I've been seeing a lot of these fake IRS emails lately. The dead giveaway is always that generic "Dear Taxpayer" greeting - the real IRS would use your actual name if they had your email on file. Plus like others mentioned, the IRS just doesn't do unsolicited emails period. Always go directly to IRS.gov if you need to check anything. These scammers are getting sneaky but the basic rule remains: when in doubt, don't click!

Definitely a scam! The IRS has been very clear about their communication policy - they don't initiate contact via email, text, or social media. That "Dear Taxpayer" greeting is a dead giveaway too. Real IRS correspondence would use your actual name and come through regular mail. You did the right thing by being suspicious. Always go directly to IRS.gov if you need to check your account status. Don't even forward these emails to friends as examples - just delete them and report to phishing@irs.gov if you want to help the IRS track these scams. The scammers are getting more sophisticated but they can't replicate the IRS's actual communication protocols. Trust your instincts!

This is 100% a scam - I work in cybersecurity and see these all the time. The IRS never initiates contact via email, period. That "Dear Taxpayer" greeting is a massive red flag since legitimate IRS communications would use your actual name from their records. What's particularly sneaky about this one is how they're trying to address common skepticism with that "We won't initiate email contact with you without your consent" line. It's psychological manipulation - they're acknowledging the very concern people have while simultaneously doing exactly what they claim they don't do. The vague "new notification" language is designed to create curiosity and urgency without being specific enough to be verifiable. Real IRS notifications are detailed and reference specific tax years, forms, or account activities. Delete this immediately and go directly to IRS.gov if you need to check your account. You can also report it to phishing@irs.gov to help protect others. Good instincts on asking before clicking anything!

Just wanted to add that these scam emails often use psychological tricks to bypass our natural skepticism. The fact that this one includes "We won't initiate email contact with you without your consent" is actually brilliant (in an evil way) - it's preemptively addressing the exact concern people should have while doing the opposite. I've fallen for similar tactics in other contexts before learning to recognize them. The key is remembering that legitimate organizations don't need to convince you they're legitimate in their communications - they just are. When you see language that seems designed to overcome suspicion rather than simply convey information, that's usually a red flag. Always trust that gut feeling of "this seems off" - it's usually right! And like everyone else said, go directly to IRS.gov if you need to check anything. Your caution here probably saved you from a lot of potential headache.

This is definitely a scam! The IRS has a very clear policy - they do NOT initiate contact through email, ever. They only communicate through official postal mail for important matters. That "Dear Taxpayer" greeting is a dead giveaway since the real IRS would use your actual name if you had an online account with them. The fact that they included that line about "We won't initiate email contact with you without your consent" is actually them trying to address the exact red flag they're creating - it's a classic psychological manipulation tactic used by scammers. You're absolutely right to be cautious! If you need to check your IRS account status, go directly to IRS.gov and log in manually - never click links in emails claiming to be from the IRS. You can also forward this scam email to phishing@irs.gov to help them track these fraudulent attempts. Trust your instincts - when something feels off about tax-related communications, it usually is!

Definitely a scam! The IRS is super clear about this - they NEVER initiate contact through email. That "Dear Taxpayer" greeting is a huge red flag since legitimate IRS communications would use your actual name from their records. What's particularly sneaky about this scam is how they're trying to get ahead of your suspicions with that "We won't initiate email contact without consent" line. It's reverse psychology - they're acknowledging the exact concern you should have while doing the opposite of what they claim. You did exactly the right thing by being suspicious and asking here first! Always go directly to IRS.gov if you need to check your account status. Never click any links in emails claiming to be from tax agencies. You can also forward this to phishing@irs.gov to help them track these scams and protect other taxpayers. These scammers are getting more sophisticated, but the basic rule remains: when it comes to the IRS, if it's not snail mail, it's not real!

This is 100% a phishing scam! The IRS has a strict policy of never initiating contact via email - they only use official postal mail for legitimate communications. That generic "Dear Taxpayer" greeting is a major red flag since real IRS correspondence would use your actual name from their records. What's particularly insidious about this scam is how they're trying to preemptively address your natural skepticism with that "We won't initiate email contact without your consent" line. It's a psychological manipulation tactic - they're acknowledging the exact red flag they're waving while trying to make you think it's legitimate. You absolutely made the right call being suspicious! If you need to check your IRS account, always go directly to IRS.gov and log in manually - never click links in emails. You can also report this to phishing@irs.gov to help protect other taxpayers. These scammers are getting more sophisticated, but the golden rule remains: if it's about taxes and it's not coming through the postal service, it's not real. Trust your instincts!

This is absolutely a scam - you made the smart choice by checking here first! The IRS never sends unsolicited emails, period. They only communicate through official postal mail for legitimate tax matters. That "Dear Taxpayer" greeting is a dead giveaway since the real IRS would use your actual name if you truly had an online account with them. What's really deceptive about this particular scam is how they try to address your natural suspicions with that line about "We won't initiate email contact without your consent" - it's basically gaslighting you into thinking the email is legitimate while doing exactly what they claim they don't do. The vague "new notification" language is designed to create curiosity without providing any verifiable details that you could check against your actual account status. Real IRS communications are specific about tax years, forms, or account activities. Delete this email immediately and if you need to check your account status, go directly to IRS.gov and log in manually. You can also forward the scam to phishing@irs.gov to help them track these attempts and protect other taxpayers. Your instincts were spot on - when it comes to tax communications, if it feels suspicious, it probably is!

Great job being cautious! This is definitely a scam. The IRS has a very clear and consistent policy - they NEVER initiate contact through email, period. All legitimate IRS communications come through regular postal mail. That "Dear Taxpayer" greeting is a huge red flag since the real IRS would use your actual name if you had an online account. What's particularly sneaky about this scam is how they're trying to get ahead of your natural suspicions with that "We won't initiate email contact without your consent" line - it's a classic manipulation tactic where they acknowledge the exact red flag they're creating to try to seem legitimate. You did exactly the right thing by asking here first instead of clicking anything! Always go directly to IRS.gov if you need to check your account status. Delete this email and consider forwarding it to phishing@irs.gov to help them track these scams. Trust your gut - when something about tax communications feels off, it usually is. The IRS doesn't play games with vague notifications or try to convince you they're real in their emails. They just send official mail and expect you to handle it accordingly.

This is definitely a scam! You did exactly the right thing by being suspicious and checking here first. The IRS has a very strict policy - they never initiate contact via email, ever. All legitimate IRS communications come through official postal mail. That "Dear Taxpayer" greeting is a dead giveaway since real IRS correspondence would use your actual name from their records if you truly had an online account. What's particularly deceptive about this scam is how they try to preemptively address your suspicions with that line about "We won't initiate email contact without your consent" - it's basically reverse psychology, acknowledging the exact concern you should have while doing the opposite. The vague "new notification" language is designed to create urgency without providing any specific details you could verify. Real IRS notifications reference specific tax years, forms, or account activities. Delete this email immediately and never click any links. If you need to check your account status, go directly to IRS.gov and log in manually. You can also forward this scam to phishing@irs.gov to help protect other taxpayers. Your instincts were spot on - when it comes to tax communications, if something feels off, it usually is!

Absolutely a scam! You were smart to trust your instincts and ask here first. The IRS is crystal clear about this - they NEVER initiate contact through email. Period. All legitimate IRS communications come through good old-fashioned snail mail. That generic "Dear Taxpayer" greeting is a massive red flag since the real IRS would use your actual name if you genuinely had an online account with them. What's really insidious about this particular scam is how they're trying to preemptively calm your suspicions with that "We won't initiate email contact without your consent" line - it's psychological manipulation at its finest, acknowledging the exact red flag they're waving while trying to convince you it's legitimate. The vague "new notification" wording is classic phishing - designed to create curiosity and urgency without giving you any specific details you could actually verify against your real account. Delete this immediately and go straight to IRS.gov if you need to check anything. You can also report it to phishing@irs.gov to help protect others. Your caution here probably saved you from a major headache - always trust that gut feeling when something seems fishy with tax stuff!

Definitely a scam! You made the right call being suspicious. The IRS has a very clear policy - they never initiate contact via email, only through official mail. That "Dear Taxpayer" greeting is a dead giveaway since legitimate IRS communications would use your actual name. What's really clever (in a malicious way) about this particular scam is how they included that line "We won't initiate email contact with you without your consent" - they're basically trying to address the exact red flag they're creating! It's a psychological trick to make you think "oh, they're being transparent about their email policy, so this must be legit" when actually it proves the opposite. Never click anything in emails claiming to be from the IRS. Always go directly to IRS.gov if you need to check your account. You can forward this scam to phishing@irs.gov to help them track these attempts. Your instincts were spot on - when it comes to taxes, if something feels off, it usually is!