Jul 25th, 12:07

Tax Rebate Scam Alert, Part 2

Earlier this year, a CNN news report warned against identity thieves posing as IRS employees over the phone and asking taxpayers for their bank account, credit card, and Social Security numbers. If you think the threat stops when the phone calls do, think again. According to the IRS, rebate check scams are now preying on the average taxpayer through something as innocent as a message in his own inbox. Over the last couple of months, e-mail scams have popped up in inboxes all over the country, coaxing people to divulge important information and making them prime targets for identity theft. Here's what you should look out for the next time you check your mail:

• Tax Refund E-mail
  An e-mail supposedly from the IRS surfaces in your inbox and tells you that you qualify for a huge amount of money as your tax refund. The message goes on to say that you can only claim your rebate check once you fill up a refund claim form, which will require your Social Security, bank account, and credit card numbers. Sometimes, the scammers will go to great lengths to make the e-mail look "official", complete with the IRS logo and a signature of the agency's "representative".

• IRS Audit E-Mail
  A fairly new spin-off of the tax refund e-mail, the audit e-mail scam lures you in by sounding genuine right off the bat. To begin with, the audit e-mail may address you by name (e.g., Dear Mr. John Smith), reassuring you that the message isn't automated. The e-mail proceeds by informing you that your tax return will be audited, and that you must click on some links to "fill up a form" that will permit them to do the audit.

Despite all appearances, these e-mails are not from the IRS, but from identity thieves who want to get their hands on your bank account or credit card numbers. Remember that the IRS will never ask for this sort of information over the phone or through e-mail, since your important numbers are already detailed in your tax return. You don't need to fill up anything else to claim your IRS rebate check. Keep these basic facts in mind, and you can outwit the very same scammers who are trying to cheat you of your money.

Up next on GGS: Other rebate scams that could fool you, and what you can do to fight scammers.



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