The Internal Revenue Service has $164.6 million to hand out to 111,893 lucky Americans, and you can find out if you are one of them just by going to this website.
No, this isn’t an Internet scam involving a Nigerian prince, a hefty inheritance and a mysterious plea for help.
The IRS actually does have the money, and it really has been trying to find the recipients. The $164.6 million is the total amount of undelivered refunds that the IRS could not give back to taxpayers because they did not have the right address to send the check to.
In most cases, it isn’t small change. The tax collectors said this week that undelivered refund checks averaged $1,471 this year, up 28 percent from $1,148 last year. Some taxpayers are owed more than one check.
You really can go to the website to find out if you have a check due to you.
Although this isn’t a scam, the IRS warns that there are plenty of identity theft scams out there that use the tax collectors as their ruse. The real IRS does not contact taxpayers by e-mail to tell them they have a refund, so if you get an e-mail claiming to be from the IRS, do not open any attachments or click on any links.
For tips on avoiding Internet scams, or to report one, you can go to this website.
Or if you’re nervous about using the Web, you can always call the IRS at 1-800-829-1954 to find out if you have a refund waiting .