Tax Refund Scam: IRS Warns that Season for Scammers has just begun!
We are nearing that part of the year when “tax” and “rebates” is going to be on everyone’s lips. The Department of Internal Revenue Service, through a recent press release, has warned that “phishing” scammers might wake up to the opportunity here to con and make some dirty money.
Scammers might email or call claiming that they can help recipients get a tax refund from IRS without waiting to file a return. They, then, ask email recipients to visit a website and submit personal data like Social Security/bank account number. Their intention, of course, is to steal identity of simple folks and then gain from its misuse. By dangling the attractive proposition, scammers use these details to conduct fraudulent transactions.
Their first targets would be businessmen and accountants, to whom they would send their missives that carry requests to download information about the latest tax laws from a particular website. While the target does so, the tainted website plants software that will allow the scammer access to client information stored in the target’s disk.
Alternatively scammers, acting as IRS employees, might train their eyes on ordinary tax payers and claim in their email that the recipient has not claimed a tax refund check posted to them by IRS. To reissue the check, the recipient would be asked to confirm their bank account numbers and social security info.
The timing of the scam cannot be more apt. Advance tax refund is one of the packages supported by Mr.Bush seeking to revitalize the economy. While not in place as yet, it has been approved by the House of Representatives and also is set to be passed by the Senate.
Fraudsters will be looking to take advantage of people not aware of this fact and mistake the scheme to be already in place. But, IRS, aiming to spoil their party, wants people to know that till such time that the scheme is actually legalized, filing a return is going to be the only way towards claiming a refund.
Related posts:
- IRS ‘tax refund’ phishing e-mails- Adding to tax season blues.
- HMRC the object of a phishing scam
- New IRS Tax Refund Scam, warns FBI
- Dramatic Fraud IRS Notification Tax refund Email ,Sucking the Tax Payers
- IRS : Taxing Times, Don’t Get Scammed
June 25th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I am going through a divorce and my husband or his girlfriend sighned my name on back of the Tax return we got in the mail for $1,800.00. I am not sure what number to call or who to contact for this information. Also when he got the first check in the mail he had it direct deposited into our joint account. He closed that account and opened a new account with his girlfriend. Please help!!
Patricia
July 28th, 2008 at 5:01 am
Patricia…
These must be tough times for you…This is a delicate matter…It is best if you take the help of your attorney/s in this matter.
Best of Luck & Best Wishes!
October 23rd, 2008 at 3:52 pm
THIS LOOKS LIKE A SCAM SENT TO MY EMAIL:
October 25th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
someone who clams dependets that they have never even seen to collect more money. How do citzens who pay there fair share stop these people?
October 25th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
How do you stop someone filling tax returns using someone else’s children to get more money back? This has been going on for some time.
March 2nd, 2009 at 2:18 am
i over heard a conversation of someone in the visalia california area useing other peoples names ssn dob adding a fony job fony dependants even by passing child support and giving strait cash to people willing . for example Debbra Rivera, who got her strait cash advance.from someone by the name of flor and or mari in visalia i also believe debra used her daughters info for last year and this year with out her knowledge Karen Rivera dob 4 16 88 and i believe she also stole my identity i lost my purse and im unaware if she used mine and my kids or boyfriends identity thats why im concerned.