Phishing E-mail Exploiting IRS Identity, Warns BBB

Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning taxpayers that fraudulent phishing e-mail was making the rounds and fooling people by pretending to be a message from IRS (Internal Revenue Service) about a tax refund.

The e-mail uses the name of IRS, its logo and also the mark of a copyright service at the end - all of which makes it appear legitimate. It tells the recipient that based on the final annual calculations of the reader's fiscal activity, the agency has determined that the recipient is entitled for a tax compensation of the amount $249.30. However, the amount of the refund appears different in different e-mails. The message also contains a section highlighted in orange color to falsely impress upon the recipient about something urgent. It says that the reader must send the necessary details within 48 hours otherwise the agency would assume the e-mail address as invalid and the refund would be cancelled.

The e-mail also includes a link that looks exactly like a URL of the agency, which leads the reader to visit a Web page, captioned "Get Your Tax Refund!" The page resembles the real IRS page named "Where's My Refund?" The counterfeit Web page asks for the taxpayers' credit card account number rather than display what the genuine "Where's My Refund?" page shows, i.e., the exact refund amount.

BBB lists certain instructions for those who use the Outlook e-mail program. First, it cautions users against opening the e-mail and clicking on the attachment. Then users are asked to select View in the menu list and in that, Options. Otherwise, they could right click the unopened e-mail and select Options again in the menu column so that the Message Options dialog box opens where they would find a box named Internet Headers that has the information for BBB to trace the attacks.

The instructions finally ask users to cancel the dialog box, paste the headers on the message and forward it to phishing@cbbb.bbb.org.

BBB advises recipients of suspicious e-mail asking for personal information to get in touch with BBB about the message, right away. Alternatively, they could notify the Internal Revenue Service.

Related article: Phishing With A Redirector Code

» SPAMfighter News - 11/7/2007