We are often told that if something is too good to be true, then it probably is. But, what if it’s not too good to be true?
Such was the case of one GantDaily reader who received an official-looking e-mail in her inbox that appeared to be from the Internal Revenue Service.
The letter said that she was owed a small amount (about $60) from the IRS. The problem: She had not needed to file an income tax return for several years, so how could she receive a refund? Also, she had changed e-mail addresses since the last time she had to file a return.
Curious, she followed the link.
She found herself on a site that not only asked for her Social Security number but also information on bank accounts and other financial records.
“It could have cleaned someone out,” she said.
Luckily, the reader knew what to do in such a situation. She contacted the appropriate authorities and gave them the information.
The question that remained for this reader was that if she had filed a return, would she have fallen for the scam? And, would other people fall for it if they received the same e-mail?
Countless Americans become victims in such scams each and every year, according to the IRS. The key, they say, is safeguarding your personal and financial information.
To help taxpayers sort out the information they receive, the IRS last year revealed their “Dirty Dozen” listing some of the most notorious tax schemes.
Some are ones carried out by taxpayers themselves, claiming their Constitutional rights against self-incrimination or privacy or filing false documents with a tax return. Others on the list are much more scary for the average (read: [mostly] honest) taxpayer.
These include e-mails from people pretending to represent financial institutions, or worse, such as in the case of the GantDaily reader, the IRS itself.
“When it comes to taxes, everyone has to pay their fair share,” IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson said. “I urge taxpayers not to be taken in by hucksters who promise to lower or eliminate taxes. Getting caught up in the Dirty Dozen or similar schemes can lead to big headaches.”
The IRS is expected to release the 2007 “Dirty Dozen” next month.
As for the problem encountered by our reader, the IRS offers the following advice:
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 800-829-1040 to determine whether the IRS is trying to contact you about a tax refund.
Another option is to make the complaint online through the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
GantDaily Editor’s Note: State Rep. Camille “Bud” George, D-74 of Houtzdale, also released an alert on Internet scams. Read that information here.