Get your taxes done using TurboTax

*UPDATE* - MY EMAIL WAS LEGIT AND I WAS VICTIM OF IDENTITY THEFT.

TLDR--Go to your INTUIT account --> Security --> Account Activity to view emails sent your account. If you see a "Unknown User, Unknown Device" (as in screenshot below) sent at the time you received the questionable email, it confirms the email is legit. Then you need to speak to a rep who understands what to do about it (this is harder than it looks, as you'll see below). In my case, I was victim of Identity Theft. 

Here's my timeline: 

• Received the exact same email as described from "no-reply@e.turbotax.intuit.com"
  • This email looks legitimate. I can click on the sender in my gmail, and see OTHER emails sent to me over the years from this same address, dating back to 2013 when I first used TurboTax. This same email address sent legitimate updates about my tax return progress. The last marketing email I received from this email address was March 2020. The last email I received was in September 2020 when I downloaded some old Tax Returns (which I did).
• Assuming the email was legit, I called the phone number listed in the Security Alert email -1-866-602-4279
  • Was taken to a phone tree, asked me to answer 4 questions relevant to the situation, (all "no") and then directed to a rep. 
  • A rep asked me for my name, email, and phone. I did not provide and asked if there was a way she could provide it back to me for my confirmation. She said no. 
  • I ended up ending this call because I figured I should check TurboTax website phone number. 
• Went to TurboTax website, and saw this (different) contact number: 1-800-446-8848
  • Was taken to a phone tree, did NOT have to answer those 4 questions, and was taken to a rep. 
  • The rep asked for my name, email, and phone. This time I DID provide because it was the phone number listed on TurboTax's website. I know this was a legit website. 
  • Asked the rep about the email, she asked me the email address I received it from. I said "@e.turbotax.intuit.com" 
  • She told me "THIS IS A SCAM." And that this scam has been happening "all week."
  • She said all emails from Turbotax should come from "turbotax.cg.intuit.com"
  • I said thanks and hung up. 
• However, I did not believe this because if I log into my TurboTax and check my Intuit Account Activity, this shows up, making the email appear legitimate.  
• I called AGAIN, talked to a different rep and was able to describe the above screenshot. That was what verified the fraudulent activity. Shout out to Alexis for actually understanding the problem. Free tip: they call it an "Account Deactivation" request.  You are essentially requesting the other account using your SSN be deactivated. 
  • Alexis stayed on the phone for an hour with me. There are like 10 steps, and there are long periods of holding where a TurboTax security team is doing something. I had to verify by uploading a picture of my Drivers License, etc. 
  • In the end, we were able to get the Account Deactivated. 
  • I will have to file my taxes in the mail this year and fill out a separate IRS form that she sent to me. 

I hope this helps. If you can confirm that you were sent the email by TurboTax (by going into your Intuit account > Security > Account Activity), then you know this is a real email.