Don't Get Hooked by Web Phishing Frauds Bearing Promises of IRS Refunds

Chances are, fraudulent e-mails claiming to be from the IRS also have landed in your computer in-box, as the tax filing season gets into full swing. Officials of the Internal Revenue Service want tax filers to be aware of these electronic traps being laid for them.

"The IRS does not send e-mails," said Mike Dobzinski, an IRS spokesman for Florida. "Traditionally, we do see an increase in scams during the tax-filing seasons. The scams' flavor seems to change each year, but they still taste the same -- and that's lousy."

An example: an e-mail sent to a Sun Sentinel reporter last week announcing the recipient was due a $189 tax refund. But to receive the money, the recipient had to visit a Web site, irs-usa.com, to complete a refund request form. The e-mail included a link to the site.

Dobzinski called that an example of what's known as "phishing," a ruse to get personal information -- such as full name, Social Security number and date of birth -- under false pretenses. The con artists then use the information to commit identity theft and plunder a victim's financial accounts.

People should not click on such e-mailed links, Dobzinski said, because the Web sites are illegitimate. Further, they could attach viruses to your computer.

"The best defense is a good offense," Dobzinski added. "Don't click on these [links]."

Instead, forward the e-mail to the IRS, at phishing@irs.gov, he said.

Also, the only official IRS address is IRS.gov. Anything else should be ignored or reported to the agency.

In 2007 and 2008, government investigators discovered 4,000 phishing Web sites, Dobzinski said. They shut down about half of them, he said, but con artists opened new ones using different names.

The fraudulent e-mails have been tracked to 68 countries around the world, though no arrests have been made, Dobzinski said.

Macollvie Jean-Francois can be reached at mjeanfrancois@SunSentinel.com or 954-385-7922.

Avoid fraud For more information on tax frauds, visit SunSentinel.com/alerts

-----

To see more of the Sun Sentinel or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sun-sentinel.com/.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.