IRS Warns Michigan: Good Things Don’t Come in This Small Package

Imagine grabbing your mail and finding a nearly empty envelope among your average Amazon orders. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that you ordered something and forgot, or you had multiple orders and the shipping giant separated the shipments. It looks like any other delivery you may receive but, what's inside could cost you everything.

IRS Warns Michigan to Toss Empty Packages Claiming to Be Government Agency

Once you've opened the most empty package, you'll find a letter inside claiming to be from the IRS:

The enclosed letter includes the IRS masthead and wording that the notice is "in relation to your unclaimed refund."

This may get your attention. Come on! Free money! Why not just follow the instructions and give them all of the personal information they ask for, like:

A Clear Phone of Your Driver's License That Clearly Displays All Four (4) Angles, Taken in a Place with Good Lighting

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Oh, it doesn't stop there, they also want your cellphone number, bank routing information, Social Security number, and bank account type. The scammers don't have a full grasp on sentence structure either:

You'll Need to Get This to Get Your Refunds After Filing. These Must Be Given to a Filing Agent Who Will Help You Submit Your Unclaimed Property Claim. Once You Send All The Information Please Try to Be Checking Your Email for Response From The Agents Thanks

This letter serves as a perfect example of "how to spot a scam" for Michigan residents. Some of the warning signs include odd punctuation and an odd combination of fonts. The IRS also points out that the IRS handles tax refunds, not "unclaimed property".

Related: Beware: Be On the Lookout for These 5 Michigan Scams

The easiest to spot red flag would be that the IRS already has all of the information they are requesting, minus the bank information if you have your refund mailed. Yet another ploy by thieves to get into the wallets of Mitten state residents.