NASHVILLE — Most people are aware that the April 15 tax filing deadline has just passed.

The Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers that scammers are aware, too, and may send official-looking e-mails to phish for private information.

“The IRS doesn’t ever send e-mails about your taxes,” said IRS spokesman Dan Boone. “If you filed your tax return recently, don’t let a scam e-mail trick you into thinking the IRS is contacting you about it.”

Boone said nearly 72 percent of Alabamians e-filed their returns last year, and because electronic tax filing is so common, people may wrongly assume the IRS will contact them online about their taxes.

But the IRS never sends private taxpayer information by e-mail and will never ask for it that way, he said.