Updated at 2:08 p.m., Thursday, September 20, 2007
Phony tax refund e-mails circulating in Hawaii
Advertiser Staff
Hawai'i residents report receiving the newest variant of so-called phishing e-mails, those that try to trick people into disclosing bank and other information by saying they have a tax refund.A Hawai'i Kai resident reported receiving what appeared to be an official-looking message from the Internal Revenue Service that said he was eligible to receive a $268.32 tax refund. It asked him to click on a link to a Web page hosted in Russia that asked for his Social Security number and credit card information.
Another resident received an e-mail that looked like it was sent by Bank of America. It said a review of his account activity determined he was eligible for a $288.40 refund. It asked him to sign into his online account and fill out a form.
The IRS posted a message on its Web site today warning of the bogus e-mails.
"Taxpayers receive a page of, or are sent to, a Web site (titled "Get Your Tax Refund!") that copies the appearance of the genuine "Where's My Refund?" interactive page on the genuine IRS Web site. Like the real "Where's My Refund?" page, taxpayers are asked to enter their SSNs and filing status," the IRS warning said.
"However, the phony Web page asks taxpayers to enter their credit card account numbers instead of the exact amount of refund as shown on their tax return, as the real "Where's My Refund?" page does."
The IRS issued a reminder that it does not send e-mails to taxpayers to advise them of refunds or to request financial information.
