As tax season approaches, online scammers are trying to invade your computer.

These scams are preventable if you know what to look for.

In this image, you can see a number of things that give it away as a Tax scam. I have also seen similar scams involving fake UPS/FedEx deliveries, nonexistent airline tickets, bogus medical records and more... click the read more link.

Grammar check: In the subject line of this email, you read, "tax payment is failed." Later in the email, you see, "In other way forward information." By itself, not much to be concerned about, but when you see bad grammar, you must begin to be suspicious.

If you get an attachment from a bank or federal entity, you know it is a scam. Because all secure documents today require that you go to the source website and log in before you can access the document, you know any attachment emailed to you probably contains a virus.

The last and most important check you can do is the link-hover test. Notice the link claims to be "eftps.gov" which appears to be a valid US government website. However, if you roll your mouse cursor over the link and do not actually click on it, a move called hovering, you will see the true location to which this link will take you. In this case it is "eftrpsid3462.com" which is a domain anyone could own for $35.

Scammers will go to lengths to create a website that mimicks the original in every way. So you have to be somewhat careful when clicking link that are attached to your email.

Using these three checks (grammar, attachments, and link-hovering), you can educate yourself and keep yourself safe from scammers on the Internet.