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Email Offer of a
Refund from the Internal Revenue Service-Fiction!
Summary of the eRumor: The message appears to be from
the United Stated Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It says that you
are eligible to receive a refund and gives a link for you to click to
file a "tax refund request."
The Truth: This email is not from the
Internal Revenue Service and will not generate a tax refund. It started
circulating in June, 2006. The link that you're supposed to click does
not go to the IRS but to a website in Taiwan. It's a blatant
attempt at collecting personal financial information for committing
either credit card fraud or identity theft. When you click the link in
the email you are taken to a page that is made to look like it's from
the IRS but it's a form that asks you for your Social Security number,
your name, a credit/debit card number, the expiration date of the card,
the security number for the cars as well as your ATM PIN number!
Updated 6/20/06
A real example of the eRumor as it has
appeared on the Internet:
After
the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity we have
determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of $63.80.
Please submit the tax refund request and allow us 6-9 days
in order to process it.
A refund can
be delayed for a variety of reasons. For example submitting
invalid records or applying after the deadline.
To access the
form for your tax refund, please click here.
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