Internal Revenue Service forms and publications are available in the Consular Section and are also posted at www.irs.gov. State tax forms and publications are not available at the Embassy, but are increasingly available on the Internet.

Tax Spam Threats

As tax season approaches, we strongly encourage everyone to carefully read the information below and beware of potential “phishing,” i.e. fraudulently attempts to illegally acquire, (via e-mails or other electronic communications) and subsequently exploit, a person’s sensitive and/or financial information, such as passwords, social security numbers or credit card details.

Since November 2005, the US Department of Treasury’s Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) has received numerous complaints yearly regarding “phishing” schemes that purport to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and solicit personal and financial information from American taxpayers.

Hundreds of thousands of bogus, “phishing” e-mail messages from fraudulent entities have been sent out informing the potential victims that they are due a significant refund, need to download important recent changes, or are currently under investigation by the IRS. The e-mail then asks the potential victim to click on a link contained within the e-mail to “access the IRS website.” The link connects the victim to a site that appears to be legitimate and then prompts the victim for personal information, such as social security numbers, credit card numbers, and credit card pin numbers. The phishing sites appear legitimate because most of the content is obtained from an actual page on the IRS website, which is then modified by the “phishers.”

The IRS never sends out unsolicited e-mails, and under no circumstances, requests credit card information and pin numbers through e-mail. According to the IRS, if a taxpayer would like to confirm any e-mail from the IRS, the number to call is 1-800-829-1040.

Need more information? Please check out our most frequently asked questions page or contact the American Citizens Services Section by phone at + 62 (21) 3435-9050, by e-mail at jakartaacs@state.gov, or by fax at + 62 (21) 385-7189 .