Scam artists jump on tax-rebate plan
Posted
Jan 28 2008, 02:55 PM
by
Karen Datko
This post comes from Lisa Wade McCormick at partner blog ConsumerAffairs.com.
Con artists in Missouri are exploiting consumers' hopes of receiving hundreds of dollars in tax rebates proposed as part of a federal economic stimulus package.
The FBI today warned taxpayers that scam artists are contacting consumers at home and claiming to be with the Internal Revenue Service. The con artists tell consumers they need their Social Security and bank account numbers to send the rebate checks.
This is a ploy to steal consumers' identity, FBI officials said.
"They're calling people on the phone and asking for their personal information, and the people are thinking they're going to get some money quicker than they normally would," Special Agent Jeff Lanza, spokesman for the FBI in Kansas City, Mo., told WDAF-TV.
Lanza said four Kansas City consumers have received the calls, and his office is worried that unsuspecting taxpayers might fall for the scam.
"It's got credibility because it's been in the news," Lanza told reporters. "Everyone is talking about the rebate. They'll probably get more people to respond because of that."
Lanza said the IRS would never ask consumers for such personal information over the phone or through e-mail. Neither would any other government agency.
Congress has not yet approved the tax-rebate plan.
Consumers who receive such calls should immediately hang up, FBI officials said.
Other articles of interest at ConsumerAffairs.com:
"Another industry lobbyist to head safety agency?"
"Super Bowl ticket scams flourish"
"Pet turtles: Cute but often contaminated"
