Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood issued a consumer alert yesterday warning taxpayers of an e-mail scam where the perpetrators pose as official Internal Revenue Service e-mailers to obtain personal and financial information. Hood said that the IRS does not send e-mails to taxpayers to inform them of refunds or to request financial information.

"We typically see this type of scam as tax season approaches," Hood said. "To best protect yourself; do not share any personal information in this way, do not reply to the e-e-mail, do not open the attachments or click on any links."

If you receive a suspicious e-mail that looks like it may be from the IRS, report it by forwarding it to [e-mail missing], or, if you are unsure of an e-mail from the IRS, call 1-800-366-4484 to verify its legitimacy.

Anyone who suspects they have been a victim of this fraud or any other, should contact the consumer protection division of the attorney general's office at 1-800-281-4418.