Issue 2, March/April, 2008
FEATURE ARTICLE - "SECRET DOLLARS": VETERANS BENEFITS FOR LONG-TERM CARE REVEALED
LEGALLINE PART 1 - ECONOMIC STIMULUS ACT OF 2008 BY CONGRESSMAN JOE SESTAK
LEGALLINE PART 2 - IRS WARNS OF E-MAIL AND TELEPHONE TAX REBATE SCAMS
CAREGIVER HELPLINE - MANAGING THE STRESS OF CAREGIVER RESPONSIBILITIES

IRS WARNS OF E-MAIL AND TELEPHONE TAX REBATE SCAMS

The Internal Revenue Service is warning taxpayers to beware of several current e-mail and telephone scams that use the IRS name as a lure. The IRS expects such scams to continue through the end of tax return filing season and beyond.

The IRS cautions taxpayers to be on the lookout for scams involving proposed advance tax rebate checks. The goal of the scams is to trick people into revealing personal and financial information, such as Social Security, bank account or credit card numbers, which the scammers can use to commit identity theft.

Typically, identity thieves use a victim's personal and financial data to empty the victim's 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. Most of these fraudulent activities can be committed electronically from a remote location, including overseas. Committing these activities in cyberspace allows scammers to act quickly and cover their tracks before the victim becomes aware of the theft.

People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years - and their hard-earned money - cleaning up the mess thieves have made of their reputations and credit records.

At least one scheme using the word "rebate" as part of the lure has been identified. In that scam, consumers receive a phone call from someone identifying himself as an IRS employee. The caller tells the targeted victim that he is eligible for a sizable rebate for filing his taxes early. The caller then states that he needs the target's bank account information for the direct depost of the rebate. If the target refuses, he is told that he cannot receive the rebate. This phone call is a scam. The IRS does not force taxpayers to use direct deposit. Those who opt for direct deposit do so by completing the appropriate section of their tax return, with bank routing and account information, when they file; the IRS does not gather the information by telephone.

The IRS has seen several variations of a refund-related bogus e-mail which falsely claims to come from the IRS. The scammer tells the recipient that he or she is eligible for a tax refund for a specific amount, and instructs the recipient to click on a link in the e-mail to access a refund claim form. The form asks the recipient to enter personal information that the scammers can then use to access the e-mail recipient's bank or credit card account. This e-mail is a phony. The IRS does not send unsolicited e-mail about tax account matters to taxpayers.

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