The IRS will soon begin sending letters to certain IRS e-services users asking them to verify their identities. The letters will go to users who access the Transcript Delivery Service and who have been active within the past year. Letter recipients will have 30 days to either authenticate their identities online or call the e-Services e-Help Desk to authenticate by phone. Letter recipients who do not respond within 30 days will have their accounts suspended for security purposes.
Only users who receive a letter must validate their identities, other users do not need to call the e-Help Desk unless their accounts are suspended. More information about this security update can be found at https://www.irs.gov/individuals/important-update-about-your-eservices-account.
The IRS also wants to warn e-Services uses that cybercriminals are engaged in ongoing phishing attempts to steal e-Services users’ usernames and passwords. Users should be alert to phishing scams either by letter, email or phone. A user who is unsure that any communication is from an official IRS source should go directly to IRS.gov.