In the poor economy, many people are concerned about making enough money to support their lifestyle. Many workers have been laid off, lost their jobs, or are looking for a second job to help make ends meet. Debt problems just keep piling up and it looks like there is no short term solution in sight. There are many advertisements and gimmicks online that promise you  the ability to make anywhere from a few bucks to thousands of dollars. However, many of these are scams that can result in you having your identity stolen or even cost you money. It is important that you thoroughly check out your opportunities to prevent this.

Make money scams come in many different forms. Some are on websites that you may stumble across, others come through your personal or work e-mail, some take the form of pop up ads. Usually, these sites will ask for your personal information or even go so far as to request bank account or social security number. When trying to figure out whether or not an opportunity is a scam, there are several things that you should look for. Most important, you should never have to pay money to make money. Some scams will present as a job opportunity, and will require you to pay for a starter kit or the equipment to start working. Although some of these may be legitimate jobs, they are often not and it is usually not worth losing money to make it.

Another important thing to remember is that you should never give out personal information without knowing exactly what it will be used for and who they are giving it to. Identity thieves only need snippets of information to wreak havoc on your life. A popular scam claims that you have received an inheritance from a long lost relative and needs to provide your bank account number to receive it.

Money scams are everywhere online. Taking a few precautionary steps can go along way in protecting your identity, money, and reputation.

The IRS reports that a number of tax professionals, IRS employees, and others are receiving emails purported to be from the "IRS Office of Professional Responsibility". The IRS suspects that this is a "phishing scheme" intended to fraudulently elicit personal information. The subject line contains "Acquire new EIN". The text instructs the recipient to obtain a new "EIN" (Employer Identification Number) in connection with fraudulent actions on their behalf. A link is provided for detailed instructions.

These emails are not from the Internal Revenue Service or the Office of Professional Responsibility. Do not access the link provided or respond to these emails. Do not provide any personal information in response to these emails. The IRS has reported this matter to the appropriate entities.

Taxpayers who receive phishing emails or telephone calls should be instructed to report the incident to phishing@irs.gov. Emails should be forwarded as an attachment to preserve information needed to further investigate the incident.