The Internal Revenue Service has issued a warning for ongoing telephone and e-mail scams being carried out in the name of the IRS. The IRS issued the warning on Jan. 30 and expects such scams to continue through the end of the tax return filing season and beyond.
Lake County Chief Deputy Sheriff Russ Perdock has confirmed that the scam is reaching Lake County residents. “Don”t give anybody your information where your identity can be stolen,” Perdock warns. “Shred banking and credit card documents with identification numbers, check your credit status periodically and report any suspicious activity to your local law enforcement.”
According to the IRS Web site, the goal of the scams is to trick people into revealing personal and financial information, such as Social Security, bank account or credit card numbers, which the scammers can use to commit identity theft.
Identity thieves can use a victim”s personal and financial information to empty bank accounts, run up credit card charges, apply for new loans, access services or benefits in the victim”s name, file fraudulent tax returns or even commit crimes. “Most of these fraudulent activities can be committed electronically from a remote location, including overseas,” the IRS warning states. “Committing these activities in cyberspace allows scamsters to act quickly and cover their tracks before the victim becomes aware of the theft.”
The most recent scams brought to the attention of the IRS have been a rebate phone call scam and a refund e-mail scam. “At least one scheme using the word ?rebate” as part of the lure has been identified,” the warning says. In the scam, the thief identifies himself as an IRS employee and tells the victim that he is eligible for a sizable rebate for filing his taxes early. The caller then requests the target”s bank account information for the direct deposit of the rebate. If the target refuses, he is told that he cannot receive the rebate.
According to the warning, the IRS does not force taxpayers to use direct deposit and bank routing and account information is never gathered by telephone.
Another current scam that has been identified is an e-mail scam. In some cases, the victim may receive an e-mail, which falsely claims to come from the IRS, telling the recipient that he or she is eligible for a tax refund for a specific amount. The e-mail will instruct the recipient to click on a link to access a refund claim form. The form asks the recipient to enter personal information that the scamsters can then use to access the e-mail recipient”s bank or credit card account.
Other scams identified in the warning include an audit e-mail scam, changes to tax law e-mail scam and a paper check phone call scam. The audit scam also requests the input of personal financial information. In the tax law scam, the e-mail directs the recipient to click on a series of links. “The IRS believes that clicking on the link downloads malware onto the recipient”s computer. Malware is malicious code that can take over the victim”s computer hard drive, giving someone remote access to the computer, or it could look for passwords and other information and send them to the scamsters,” the warning advises.
The paper check phone call scam involves the caller claiming to be an IRS employee inquiring as to why an issued check has not been cashed. The call then requests verification of the victim”s bank account number. According to the warning, the IRS leaves entirely up to the individual to choose to cash a paper check or not. The IRS does not contact taxpayers to verify bank routing and account numbers.
More information regarding current tax scams is available on the IRS Web site at IRS.gov. Those who have received a questionable e-mail claiming to come from the IRS may forward it to the mailbox the IRS has established to receive such e-mails, phishing@irs.gov, using instructions contained in an articled titled “How to Protect Yourself from Suspicious E-Mails or Phishing Schemes.” Following the instructions will help the IRS track suspicious e-mail to its origins and shut down the scam. Those who have received a questionable telephone call may also contact phishing@irs.gov to notify the IRS of the scam.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com.
