With the 2010 tax deadline looming, IRS scam emails are on the rise. These emails typically claim to be coming from the IRS and offer any number of things: an unclaimed tax refund, an expedited refund, a request for further information in regards to an already filed return.

In one particular strain, reported by MX Logic at the end of last month, victims who click on any of the links within a given spam message will be infected with the Zeus Trojan. This dangerous piece of malware allows cyber criminals to turn normally safe websites into phishing sites while gathering personal data off of the infected computer.

Other variations of attack simply ask for personal information in order to steal your identity or obtain cash directly from you.

The IRS is reminding tax payers that it does not communication with people via email. A full guide to the IRS’ policy on email communications, scams and phishing attacks can be found here.

Check out sample IRS phishing messages here and here (courtesy of the IRS).