Police Warn about Phishing E-mail Spoofing IRS

According to the reports coming in, The Oswego and North Aurora police administrations are warning about possible scams circulating in the locality, as reported by The Beacon News on November 5, 2008.

Reports state that according to Oswego police, an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) e-mail scam, first noticed in April 2008, has re-emerged recently in Oswego.

Meanwhile, as per the details of the scam, a local resident has recently got an e-mail message supposedly came from the Department of Treasury at service@irsusa.com, having the title, "Notice from the Department of Treasury", says an Oswego police alert.

The police warning also says that the text in the e-mail informs the recipient about his entitlement for a tax rebate on the amount he has already paid. However, to get that rebate, he needs to access an online form that can be downloaded after clicking on a link inside the e-mail, according to the police alert.

But the police warning said that by clicking on the link, the user is diverted to a phishing site created to gather financial and other personal data from citizens. Thus, when the user clicks on the link for the Website, its designers, the phishers, hijack all of that user's private information.

Reports further state that Oswego police are suggesting that anyone who thinks he has been cheated in the e-mail scam contacts the police department.

They also state that to stay protected from the phishing fraud, residents should not click on the URLs or Web links embedded in the e-mail, especially those from the Internal Revenue Service.

In addition, the IRS suggests those victimized in the e-mail fraud to stop using their e-mail if they feel their accounts have been infiltrated. Further, they should report to the appropriate fraud departments such as the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration fraud department of the scam along with the details that they think have been phished.

Also, the police department and the IRS recommend that a potentially affected user can contact the IRS at its customer service number to confirm about the solicitations for particulars from the IRS.

Related article: Police Arrests Six Suspects Associated With TJX Credit Scam

» SPAMfighter News - 11/20/2008