BS: False IRS Scam

Subject: BS: False IRS Scam
From: Amos
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 01:43 PM

From the Mercury News:

Q I just received the following. This has to be a scam - something to inform your readers about:
"After the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of $93.60. 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 your tax refund online, please click here. Regards, Internal Revenue Service."
B.B.

A You're right, B.B. This is a scam.

Not only is the Internal Revenue Service after our money and personal information this time of year, so are the outlaws.

It can be quickly identified as fake, said ScamBusters.org. "It has the same links as IRS pages, but when you click on them, the page simply refreshes instead of taking you to the link."

Furthermore, said ScamBusters: "The IRS does not send out refunds this way. If the IRS wants to get in touch, it sends a letter. The only way it collects your bank account details is if you choose to put them in your tax return. Period."

But this is not the only IRS fraud scheme going around. With all our money floating around during tax return season, the crooks are lying in wait to snare their illicit share.
ScamBusters said a new IRS scam aimed at seniors has the crooks telling the victim they
can get his or her Social Security payroll taxes refunded for an upfront fee based on the size of their rebate, plus a percentage of the refund.

"Naturally, they say it will be a big refund and inflate their 'fee' to match it, producing and filling in a tax form as 'evidence.'

"Trouble follows: The law doesn't allow a refund of taxes paid into Social Security and the taxpayer may end up having to pay penalties for filing a fraudulent return."

Here's another one:

Instead of claiming the IRS owes you money, another tax scam offers a reward to you for filing your return early, said ScamBusters.

"A phone caller will ask for bank details. Not only does the IRS not seek such details by phone - but it also doesn't pay rewards for early returns."

"Another sneaky trick is an e-mail that offers taxpayers $80 for filling an online customer satisfaction survey.

"Of course, you're expected to enter all your personal details on the form. Don't fall for this - it's a scam."

But this isn't all you need to worry about, fellow taxpayers.

ScamBusters said there is a plethora of IRS scams, "more than 1,000 at the last count!"
"Some of them have been around for years, yet still find victims," said ScamBusters.
Victims not only lose money or their identities in these tax fraud scams, they may be in trouble with the IRS.

"To help the public recognize and avoid abusive tax schemes, the IRS offers an abundance of educational materials," said the IRS on its Web site at www.irs.gov.

"Participating in an illegal scheme to avoid paying taxes can result in imprisonment and fines, as well as the repayment of taxes owed with penalties and interest."

---

Posted as a public service.


A

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: Rapparee
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 03:53 PM

If for some reason I think that something might possibly conceivably maybe perhaps be legitimate I look at the header. Then I run the IP address(es) again an ARIN "whois." I didn't know, for instance, that Citibank ran a fraud office out of Dar-es-Salaam or that the IRS had an office in an industrial park outside of Cairo, Egypt.

And viewing the "page source" is also interesting, especially when you find out that "clicking here" won't take you to Key Bank's website at all!

Yeah, mine's a little more technical than what Amos posted, but it all boils down to "If it sounds to good to be true it probably is" and, from the other side's point of view, "Never give a sucker an even break."

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 06:04 PM

The IRS has been a popular "theme" for frauds and malware recently. Another has been the FBI, with several forms so old they're getting a bit stale.

John

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: Amos
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 06:20 PM

Obviously sharpening up your analytical toolbox to defend yourself, as Rapaire describes, is the best defense against this sort of cyberhooligan. If you don't know how to use a Whois database, or track an IP number across the 'Net, you might want to learn -- there are many tools out there that make it easy. On Macs, OSX comes with them ready to put to use.

A

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: Rapparee
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 06:32 PM

Hell, just pick up the IP addresses you wanna check and go to the ARIN whois website and fill in the blank. Instructions are also right there. ("ARIN" = "American Registry for Internet Numbers". Europe has RIPE, Africa and Asia have their own, etc.)

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: Amos
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 08:13 PM

Tne European RIPE searchable database can be reached by clicking the ble clicky thing just left of here <++++.



A

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 08:16 PM

How handy, Rap! Thanks! In that past I've had a couple of other ways to track down that stuff (Symantec used to have some tracking stuff in their firewall software, but I haven't used a Symantec firewall in a couple of years).

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: Bill D
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 09:18 PM

I'm about ready to approve the death penalty for these things. ...well, maybe 40 years at hard labor. We need a few serious, well publicized convictions to scare some of these scum.

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: Rapparee
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 09:26 PM

Hard to do when they're located in countries that don't care, Bill.

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: katlaughing
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 11:53 PM

I had one of the email ones, last year. I quick visit to what I knew was the legit IRS website and I found info about it with all of their recommendations, etc. One can never be too careful.

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 08:01 AM

While we are on tracing people, is there an easy way to get the actual identity of bloggers, without having to get a disclosure order (from a court) against the Registrant of the bloghost?

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: Mrrzy
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 09:47 AM

Hee hee, is that in contrast to the true IRS scam?

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: Amos
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 10:08 AM

Richard:

AFAIK, no easy way unless you take the sysiop out and get him drunk. The blogger's IP address is available to the sysop where the blog is maintained, but is not visible to someone viewing it over a normal browser interface.


A

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 26 Feb 08 - 09:43 AM

'Hell, just pick up the IP addresses you wanna check...'

Where do I get the IP address? That's different from the URL, right?

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: dwditty
Date: 26 Feb 08 - 09:59 AM

It is really very simple to avoid these scams. Just realize that NO ONE is EVER going to email you with an opportunity to receive money.

dw

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: Amos
Date: 26 Feb 08 - 10:08 AM

Leenia:

You can google "Internet Protocol" to find out all about IP. It is a number in groups of three digits sepasrated by dots. This number is what the URL gets translated into so the network routes your request tot he correct machine in the network or internatwork.

If instead of a URL you were to enter Microsoft's real Web address is 207.46.230.229 into your browser, it used to take you to Microsoft.com.

An explanation can be found here and many more can be found here.

Good hunting.

A

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: Amos
Date: 26 Feb 08 - 10:54 AM

From one site:

"DNS translates alphanumeric names used by humans

2-part domain name (ex. cornell.edu)
3-part subdomain name (ex. ciser.cornell.edu)
4-part host name (ex. gaea.ciser.cornell.edu)

into numeric IP addresses used by computers

3-part subnet (ex. 128.253.230)
4-part host address (ex. 128.253.230.32)
"


A

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 26 Feb 08 - 02:49 PM

Thanks, Amos. I remember having the IP for the Mudcat. We called it 'the back door.'

We haven't needed the back door much lately, I'm happy to say.

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 26 Feb 08 - 02:58 PM

'It is really very simple to avoid these scams. Just realize that NO ONE is EVER going to email you with an opportunity to receive money.'

Sure, dw, but such a simple approach is never going to appeal to the Mudcat mentality. Catters would much rather find out that the scammers are based outside of Cairo, possibly inside a pyramid.

Subject: RE: BS: False IRS Scam
From: Amos
Date: 26 Feb 08 - 10:33 PM

Well, if it turns out they ARE inside a pyramid, it is sure a lot more interesting than just that they tried and failed to trick me, which happens every day.


A