Joan Juliet Buck | 03/13/2008 11:36 am

Internet Scam Alert: Beware of E-Mails Offering a Tax Refund

This morning, my e-mail inbox contained the message reproduced in this post. It looked a little strange.

The e-mail, dominated by the logo of the Internal Revenue Service but not addressed to me or to anyone in particular, stated in woolly fashion that “after the last annual calculations of my fiscal activity,” they had determined that I was eligible to receive a tax refund for the measly sum of $93.60.

To access this tax refund, the e-mail instructed me to click on a link. The link took me to a site where I had to give my taxpayer identification number, and a credit card number. Naturally, I knew better than to input my sensitive information.

First of all, the IRS does not send emails. Second, the reply address was donoreply@please.com.

Now, whatever you think of the IRS, you must know that its email address could never be @please.com.

Just to be sure, I checked with Hoax-slayer.com, which is a good site to go to whenever something strange turns up in your inbox. And, indeed, my suspicions were warranted. Beware.

Read more about: Internet Scam Alert, IRS, Taxes

9 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

THANKS FOR THE INFO AND ALSO THE HOAX WEBSITE, I HAVE EMAILED IT OUT.

By kat on 03/13/2008 3:12 pm

e-mail alert

Thanks for the warning. I will pass it on.

By kenju kenju on 03/13/2008 5:05 pm

e-mail alert

It’s important to note that the IRS won’t telephone you either. We’ve seen a form of phishing attack called “vishing” where the victim is told to call a phone number. And the person on the other end of the phone supposedly verifies the story. The IRS prefers to talk to taxpayers via good old fashioned US Mail. Make sure your home’s mailbox is safe for important letters like theirs. I would advise getting a locking mailbox (or a slot in your door so the mail goes inside). You can check my blog for additional tips related to internet safety and preventing ID Theft: http://marian.symantec.com/blog/index.cfm Marian Merritt, Symantec/Norton Internet Safety Advocate

By Marian Merritt on 03/13/2008 5:47 pm

e-mail alert

Clicking on the link of a scam e-mail is very dangerous. You can be infected just by visiting a website - all it takes is a few seconds for the site to install rogue code on your computer; you don’t even have to do anything or provide information. I came very close to being infected with the Storm Worm in this manner. I got an e-mail telling me I had an invitation and, because I was expecting one to a friend’s party, I clicked and went to the site. There, a message popped up asking for approval to install XXXX [I forgot the name of the code]. At this point I became suspicious and shut the browser immediately - which is what saved me. Norton Security reported an intrusion attempt later during the nightly scan.

By Johanna Hoffmann on 03/13/2008 9:48 pm

e-mail alert

One of the great things about my Crackberry - I may mistakenly open a scam e-mail, but it can’t make my phone crash!

By Ginger Richardson on 03/14/2008 10:37 am

e-mail alert

I work in a tax office during the winter, and many of our customers are elderly. Thankfully, many do not have computers. We went out of our way to contact those people who no longer need to file tax returns, and inform them that they need to file a return to get this refund. 100% of them thanked us. We also put up a sign describing this scam. My boss also called the local sheriff’s department and alerted them to its arrival within our customer base. The response was that there were so many scammers/spammers on to this, that getting the word out was the only way to fight it. So, thanks for doing just that!

By laura klehamer on 03/15/2008 1:58 pm

e-mail alert

Thanks for this. Sending your warning out to others.

By Randa P on 03/17/2008 12:29 pm

e-mail alert

whats next..every day of the week (NOT including sunday, at least) i get at least 10 of these weird emails asking me to do everything but just stand on a street corner and let my money loose in the wind…one blessing..i have msn ‘hotmail’ and both versions feature a ‘unsafe’ or ‘phishing’ button…believe me, im not gonna open ANYTHING FROM ANYBODY that i DONT recognize the email/website address..have heard TOO many horror stories about computer ‘OOOP’S…just be careful because your life and the life of your computer can be totally toast with the stroke of the wrong key..take care….

By theCHEROKEErose on 03/17/2008 12:49 pm

e-mail alert

Being aware of these illegal perpetrators about tax refunds is such a relevant issue for every concerned people. We must be careful on clicking links on different website that offers tax refund. While reading this articles I used to recall that the House and Senate debate a bonus tax on bailed out companies, Wal Mart is doing just fine. If it passes the bonus tax won’t apply to Wal Mart. Wal Mart, the perennial retail heavyweight champion, has actually posted a pretty good year, and that’s the reason they’re giving cash advances out to their employees, down to the lowly stock people and cashiers. While larger firms invest a lot of money to make it look like they really do something, Wal Mart has actually done the work and posted profits. They shouldn’t have to pay a bonus tax.

By Deshaun S on 03/28/2009 4:34 am