NormCameron
Vista Guru
IR-2005-136, Nov. 30, 2005
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today issued a consumer alert about an Internet scam in which consumers receive an e-mail informing them of a tax refund. The e-mail, which claims to be from the IRS, directs the consumer to a link that requests personal information, such as Social Security number and credit card information.
This scheme is an attempt to trick the e-mail recipients into disclosing their personal and financial data. The practice is called “phishing” for information.
The information fraudulently obtained is then used to steal the taxpayer’s identity and financial assets. Generally, identity thieves use someone’s personal data to steal his or her financial accounts, run up charges on the victim’s existing credit cards, apply for new loans, credit cards, services or benefits in the victim’s name and even file fraudulent tax returns.
The bogus e-mail, which claims to come from "[email protected]" tells the recipient that he or she is eligible to receive a tax refund for a given amount. It then says that, to access a form for the tax refund, the recipient must use a link contained in the e-mail. The link then asks for the personal and financial information. The IRS does not ask for personal identifying or financial information via unsolicited e-mail. Additionally, taxpayers do not have to complete a special form to obtain a refund.
If you receive an unsolicited e-mail purporting to be from the IRS, take the following steps:
IRS Warns of e-Mail Scam about Tax Refunds
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today issued a consumer alert about an Internet scam in which consumers receive an e-mail informing them of a tax refund. The e-mail, which claims to be from the IRS, directs the consumer to a link that requests personal information, such as Social Security number and credit card information.
This scheme is an attempt to trick the e-mail recipients into disclosing their personal and financial data. The practice is called “phishing” for information.
The information fraudulently obtained is then used to steal the taxpayer’s identity and financial assets. Generally, identity thieves use someone’s personal data to steal his or her financial accounts, run up charges on the victim’s existing credit cards, apply for new loans, credit cards, services or benefits in the victim’s name and even file fraudulent tax returns.
The bogus e-mail, which claims to come from "[email protected]" tells the recipient that he or she is eligible to receive a tax refund for a given amount. It then says that, to access a form for the tax refund, the recipient must use a link contained in the e-mail. The link then asks for the personal and financial information. The IRS does not ask for personal identifying or financial information via unsolicited e-mail. Additionally, taxpayers do not have to complete a special form to obtain a refund.
If you receive an unsolicited e-mail purporting to be from the IRS, take the following steps:
- Do not open any attachments to the e-mail, in case they contain malicious code that will infect your computer.
- Contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to determine whether the IRS is trying to contact you about a tax refund.
IRS Warns of e-Mail Scam about Tax Refunds
My Computer
System One
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- Manufacturer/Model
- Scratch Built
- CPU
- Intel Quad Core 6600
- Motherboard
- Asus P5B
- Memory
- 4096 MB Xtreme-Dark 800mhz
- Graphics card(s)
- Zotac Amp Edition 8800GT - 512MB DDR3, O/C 700mhz
- Monitor(s) Displays
- Samsung 206BW
- Screen Resolution
- 1680 X 1024
- Hard Drives
- 4 X Samsung 500GB 7200rpm Serial ATA-II HDD w. 16MB Cache .
- PSU
- 550 w
- Case
- Thermaltake
- Cooling
- 3 x octua NF-S12-1200 - 120mm 1200RPM Sound Optimised Fans
- Mouse
- Targus
- Keyboard
- Microsoft
- Internet Speed
- 1500kbs
- Other Info
- Self built.
