IRS says avoid phishing scams to prevent identity theft

The Internal Revenue Service has released its list of the top tax-related scams for this filing season, and one could involve identity theft.

According to the IRS, some thieves may try to act as representatives from the federal tax agency. The forms of communication through which these phishing scams operate include emails, mircoblogging, fake websites, telephones or fax machines.

"Scam artists will try to mislead consumers by telling them they are entitled to a tax refund from the IRS and that they must reveal personal information to claim it," the IRS said.

Doing so could lead to identity theft as crooks use the information to open false credit card accounts or sign up for other financial products.

The IRS noted that a person who gets a suspicious email should avoid clicking any links that are provided. Consumers should also not open any attachments that come with these emails.

Taking these precautions could help a consumer avoid being the victim of identity theft, a crime that received the most complaints by the Federal Trade Commission last year. According to the FTC, 21 percent of all consumer complaints it received in 2009 involved identity theft.

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