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Posted by William Brenner on January 31, 2008, 11:13 am
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From CNNMoney.com
IRS warns of rebate scams (At least one aimed at accountants)
Identity thieves use economic stimulus plan to steal personal
information over the phone, Internet.
January 31 2008: 8:16 AM EST
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Even before Congress passes an economic stimulus
package, identity thieves are using promises of tax rebates to trick
people into revealing financial and personal data, the Internal Revenue
Service warned Wednesday.
Under one scheme, the IRS said, people are receiving phone calls telling
them they can only receive a rebate if they provide bank account
information for a direct deposit.
The tax agency stressed that it does not collect information by
telephone and that no legislation has been enacted that would allow it
to provide advance payments to taxpayers or that specifies the details
of those payments.
The House last week, as part of an economic stimulus package, approved
tax rebates of $600 and $1,200 respectively for most individuals and
couples, with another $300 per child. The Senate is now considering a
slightly different version.
The IRS also repeated past warnings of e-mails, supposedly coming from
the agency, where people are asked to enter personal information on a
form needed to obtain a tax refund.
A new scam, it said, involves an e-mail notification that a person's tax
return will be audited with instructions to click on links to complete
forms with personal and account information.
Businesses and accountants are also getting e-mails with instructions to
download information on tax law changes. Clicking on these links could
download "malware" onto the recipient's computer that gives the scammer
remote access to the computer hard drive.
In another telephone scam, a caller claims to be an IRS employee who
says the taxpayer has not cashed a refund check and asks the person to
verify his or her bank account number.
On Tuesday, at a Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing for
Douglas Shulman, the nominee to be IRS commissioner, Sen. Charles
Schumer, D-N.Y., expressed concern that taxpayers would be victimized by
tax prepares and lenders who charge high interest rates for short-term
advances on their stimulus rebates.
The IRS advised people not to click on any link from an e-mail
purporting to come from the tax agency. People receiving questionable
e-mails can contact the IRS through phishing@irs.gov.
Senate Democrats: Add checks for seniors
Stimulus deal: What's in it for small biz
Find this article at:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/31/pf/taxes/bc.irs.scams.ap/index.htm?cnn=yes
© 2007 Cable News Network LP, LLP.
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