By Staff
The following article really got my attention and was forwarded to me by Gloria Musson, REA for Money and Personal Finance
The Internal Revenue Service recently 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 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 &#8220phishing” for information.
The information fraudulently obtained is then used to steal the taxpayer's identity and financial assists. 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, applying for new loans, credit cards, services or benefits in the victim's name and even file fraudulent tax returns.
If you receive an unsolicited e-mail purporting to be from the IRS, take the following steps: