Arkansas AG: Beware of Bogus IRS Refund Emails

Nov 2, 2007 -- LITTLE ROCK – Every April, people rush to turn in their federal tax forms, hoping to get a big refund check in return from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). But imagine opening up your inbox in November and reading an email, seemingly from the IRS, alerting you that you have a refund waiting for you now. Sound too good to be true? Well, it is, and, recently, a number of Arkansans have received these bogus refund emails, rightly recognized them as scams, and forwarded them to the Attorney General's Office. Today, Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel issued this consumer alert to warn consumers about the resurgence of this scheme.

"Most government entities that have legitimate business with somebody will not ask for personal, financial information through an unsolicited email," said McDaniel. "Even if the sender's email address looks genuine, such emails are usually just sophisticated phishing expeditions."

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Phishing is an attempt to deceptively acquire sensitive information for the purposes of committing fraud, and often times, con artists use trusted names, logos or brands to fool consumers into turning over information. For instance, the fake IRS emails usually come from a sender with a "@irs.gov" email address and tell the consumer that she is eligible for tax refund in a certain amount based on a re-calculation of the consumer's "fiscal activity." When the recipient opens the email, she is either asked to fill out a form or directed to a Web site, where her Social Security number, banking information or credit card numbers are requested. With this information in hand, the con artist can then steal the consumer's assets and even her identity.

Here are some tips to remember if you receive an email purporting to be from the IRS:

• Do not open any attachments or click on any links contained in the email.
• Do not provide financial or personal information to anybody or any entity that requests it through an unsolicited email.
• Call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to inquire about any potential refunds.
• Forward the email to the Arkansas Attorney General's Office's at OAG@ArkansasAG.gov and to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov (follow the instructions).

Source: Arkansas Attorney General