Joseph Russo – Financial Literacy Advisory from National Council of Financial Literacy About IRS Refund Scams

Charlotte, NC, May 08, 2009 --(PR.com)-- IRS Refund Scams
The National Council for Financial Literacy warns consumers about IRS Tax Refund Scams. This is the season for tax refund “phishing” scams. E-mails are going out notifying the recipient that a refund is due. These e-mails are not from the IRS.

This notification is from a previous IRS warning:

“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 "tax-refunds@irs.gov" 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.

The IRS has seen numerous attempts over the years to defraud the public and the federal government through a variety of schemes, including abusive tax avoidance transactions, identity theft, claims for slavery reparations, frivolous arguments and more. More information on these schemes may be found on the criminal enforcement page at IRS.gov.”

Other e-mail scams are evolving with regard to “Economic Stimulus Checks” and consumers should be aware that other bogus “US Government” e-mails are being generated to unsuspecting consumers.

Opening of these e-mails may subject your computer to a “virus” that can damage your computer.

Contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to determine whether the IRS is trying to contact you about a tax refund also call local law enforcement and the local Better Business Bureau

About The National Council

The Mission of the National Council for Financial Education of Students and Consumers is:

to provide proactive, rather than reactive, financial education programs for students and consumers, through enhanced delivery strategies of financial content, with facilitators that are focused on topics that directly affect the ability of participants to function efficiently in basic daily financial situations.
The “Council” wishes to improve awareness of the pitfalls of poor money management and significantly improve the financial awareness in areas of daily financial stability, by concentrating on topics that concern basic daily financial survival. “Back to the Basics” of good money management.

More information about the National Council of Financial Literacy can be found at www.ConsumerFinancialFacts.com

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