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April 3, 2008
Featured Story
Sheriff Brown Warns Bedford Residents of E-Mail and Phone Scams
There are several e-mail and telephone scams occurring that the IRS has acknowledged and they fear that these will continue through the end of tax return filing season.
Sheriff Brown wants to warn all taxpayers to be on the lookout for scams involving proposed advance payment checks. The government planned an economic stimulus package, known informally as “rebates” to many Americans, but there is a scam which uses the rebates as bait.
How it works: A consumer receives a phone call from someone identifying himself as an IRS employee. The caller tells the targeted victim that he is eligible for a sizable rebate for filing his taxes early. The caller then states they he needs to have the target’s bank account information for the direct deposit of the rebate. If the person refuses to give bank information, the caller tells them they are not eligible for the rebate.
The Facts: If you give this caller your bank information, your account and those accounts attached to it can be cleaned out, usually in minutes. The scammers act so quickly, they are done and have covered their tracks before the victim ever knows they have been scammed.
Be Aware: The IRS NEVER forces you to accept direct deposit. The IRS NEVER gathers personal information by phone.
Scammers trick people into revealing personal and financial information, such as Social Security, bank account or credit card numbers, which they later use to commit identity theft.
Paper Check Phone Call
How it works: This telephone scam is a caller claiming to be an IRS employee who is calling because the IRS sent a check to the individual being called. The caller states that because the check has not been chased, the IRS wants to verify the individual’s bank account number. (the caller may have a foreign accent.)
The facts: Again, if scammers get your bank routing information, they can clean out your account before you even realize it.
Be Aware: The IRS leaves it up to you. If you choose not to cash a check, they are not going to call you and ask you why or try to put it into your bank account.
If you wish to contact the IRS via Internet, type their address into your Internet window. www.irs.gov. Do NOT rely on links from other emails. They may take you to what LOOKS like a legitimate IRS page, but it could be a trap.
If you have received a questionable email or a phone call from someone that claims to be from the IRS, please send on to the IRS at www.phishing@irs.gov. In addition to the “scams” the Sheriff refers to, there are numerous others which citizens should be aware of. The following links should be consulted:
Top 10 Scams Reported to the Office of Virginia’s Attorney General
http://www.vaag.com/consumer/top_10.html
Internet Fraud Tips from the National Consumers League