Internet Protection

Be aware of seasonal IRS scams

As we head into a new calendar year and approach the common April 15th filing deadline for income taxes, Optimum customers should be aware that scammers have continued to evolve tax season-related schemes. The U.S. Government's Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does not solicit payments from people via email or websites. The IRS does not accept payments on pre-paid debit cards (such as GreenDot or similar).

If you have received a phone call or email claiming to be from the U.S. Government or the IRS that requests you to make a payment using a pre-paid debit card, please be aware that this request is fraudulent. Do not follow the links provided in these e-mails. Callers that ask you to visit websites or type commands into your computer could be attempting to infect your computer with malware that could allow the scammers to access your computer, render your files (documents, photos, etc.) inaccessible, detect the passwords you type, and commit other fraudulent activities.

As your security is very important to us, we encourage you to:

• Be wary of unsolicited calls and emails asking you for payments, especially using pre-paid debit cards.
• Be wary of telephone calls and emails requesting payment or personal information by individuals claiming to be from government agencies.
• Use a quality security suite that includes anti-malware, browser protection, and a password manager. Optimum offers internet protection powered by McAfee, at no cost to Optimum Online customers, that provides these features on up to 20 devices. Visit http://www.optimum.net/protect for more information and to download the software.

For more information about IRS-related and other phishing schemes, visit the following: