CONSUMER ALERT

MIKE COX

ATTORNEY GENERAL

The Attorney General provides Consumer Alerts to inform the public of unfair, misleading, or deceptive business practices, and to provide information and guidance on other issues of concern.              
 

 TAX REBATE SCAMS

Under the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, more than 130 million American households will receive economic stimulus payments beginning in May 2008.  Unfortunately, identity thieves are already pushing scams involving stimulus payments (rebates). 

The goal of these scams is to obtain personal and financial information, such as Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, and credit card numbers.  This information is used by identity thieves to withdraw money from bank accounts, charge credit cards, and apply for new loans or credits cards. 

Some of the more common scams are detailed below.  However, regardless of the scam used, you should remember that the
IRS will never do any of the following:

• Call you to ask for your Social Security number, bank account information, or other personal information.

• E-mail you to ask for your Social Security number, bank account information, or other personal information.

• Send you a letter asking you to respond by phone or e-mail.

• Ask you to pay a fee to get your rebate.

REBATE PHONE CALL SCAM

Under this scam, you receive a call from someone pretending to be an IRS employee.  This alleged IRS employee will tell you that you are eligible for a rebate, but first you must provide some personal information so that your check can be processed.  This person may ask you for personal information, such as your Social Security number and bank account numbers.  The caller may attempt to coerce you into providing this information by indicating that the rebate is only available by direct deposit. 

This is a scam!  The IRS does not ask for personal information by phone.  Also, the IRS does not force taxpayers to use direct deposit.  
Those who opt for direct deposit do so by completing the appropriate section of their tax return.

REBATE E-MAIL SCAM

Under this scam, you receive an e-mail that appears to be from the IRS.  The e-mail will claim that the agency needs some personal information to process your rebate check.  You may be asked to provide your Social Security number, bank account number, or other personal information. 

These e-mails often include official-looking logos and e-mail addresses and may include links that take you to an official-looking, but phony, website.  The link may even take you to a legitimate government site.  Regardless, do not click on the link in the e-mail!  Even if the link takes you to a legitimate site, it is likely that clicking on the link will cause spyware or some other form of malware to be installed on your computer.  If you wish to access the IRS website, you should initiate contact by typing the www.irs.gov address into your Internet address window, rather than clicking on a link in an e-mail or opening an attachment.

E-MAILS OR PHONE CALLS PROMISING TO SPEED UP YOUR REBATE FOR A FEE

Under this scam, you will receive an e-mail or phone call from someone promising to assist you in applying for or speeding up receipt of your rebate.  You should never pay a fee to get your rebate or to get it faster.  In order to obtain your rebate, you merely need to file your tax return.  You do not need to pay anyone to get your rebate or get it earlier. 

According to the IRS, the fastest way to get both regular refunds and rebates is direct deposit.  You should visit the IRS website at www.irs.gov if you have any questions regarding your rebate, including your eligibility to receive a rebate, how much you can expect to receive, or how to sign up for direct deposit.

REPORT THESE SCAMS

If you receive a questionable e-mail that purports to be from the IRS, you may forward it to phishing@irs.gov, the address established by the IRS to receive, track, and shut down these scams.  Detailed instructions for how to send the e-mails are in the IRS's publication "How to Protect Yourself from Suspicious E-Mails or Phishing Schemes" available at: http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=155344,00.html.  You may not receive an individual response to your e-mail because of the volume of reports the IRS receives each day.

You may also forward fraudulent e-mails to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov. 

Further, if you receive a questionable telephone call that claims to come from the IRS, you may also use the phishing@irs.gov mailbox to notify the IRS of the scam.

Consumers may contact the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at:  

Consumer Protection Division
P.O. Box 30213
Lansing, MI 48909

517-373-1140
Fax: 517-241-3771

Toll free: 877-765-8388

www.michigan.gov/ag (online complaint form)