Caution: Tax Rebate Scams

Scam artists may target individuals expecting tax rebates.

Federal Trade Commission

Consumers expecting a tax rebate should be cautious about scam artists who will try to obtain personal information, leading to identify theft.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is cautioning consumers expecting a tax rebate check from the government that they could be targets of scammers trying to steal their identity. The rebates were part of the economic stimulus package approved by Congress in January.

The fraudulent schemes work like this:

Consumers get a call or an e-mail claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security Administration, or some other government agency, citing the need to collect some bit of personal information to process the rebate check.

Individuals may be asked to provide their Social Security number, bank account number, or another piece of personal information that a skillful crook can use to commit identity theft.

E-mails often include a link for a consumer to click – that link may take the consumer to an official-looking, but phony, web site that is simply “phishing” for the consumer's information.

Or, the link may take the consumer to a legitimate Internet site, but the scan artists will install “spyware” or some other form of “malware” (software designed to infiltrate a computer system without the owner's consent).

Neither the Internal Revenue Service nor Social Security collects information about government rebate qualifications by telephone or e-mail. The FTC urges consumers who are contacted by phone or e-mail not to provide any personal information and to report the contact to IRS at phishing@irs.gov or the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213.

This article, and hundreds more, can be found in the “Member Library” section on the NEA Member Benefits Web Site at www.neamb.com.