A Surfeit of Stimulus Scams

The economic stimulus program (hereafter known as the tax rebates) have brought forth a number of con artists trying to get their hands on the rebate checks. Among the scams are phony IRS e-mails with purported links to tax law changes which actually install malware on the user's computer; proposals of advance payment checks; phone calls from phony IRS employees; requests for financial information from charities (supposedly from the IRS Director of Exempt Organizations) and phony audit e-mails asking for personal and financial information. The IRS indicated that it does not require use of direct deposit and does not ask for personal or financial information by telephone.

Tax scamsters seem to get more brazen with each passing year. Contact an IRS office or your tax professional if you have any unusual correspondence which appears to be from the IRS.