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OT: Another Phishing Scam

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5902 Posts

Initially Posted - 02/20/2012 : 07:22:40

I just received the following email, and want to alert you to it:

Subject: Penalty for not filing tax return on time

Good day,

Please be informed, that you are subject to a penalty for not filing the income tax return by the deadline that is January 31, 2012.

Please pay attention, that IRS [Section 6038(b)(1)] determines a monetary penalty to the amount of $10,000 for each [Form 5471] that is sent on the expiry of the due date stipulated for filing the income tax return, or does not contain the exhaustive data determined in [Section 6038(a)].

The exemption from the penalty will be granted on condition that the taxpayer proves that the late filing was based on ample grounds.

You can find more information on our official website (p lease follow the link below)

Regards,
Internal Revenue Service United States
Department of the Treasury

On its surface, it is fairly convincing, until you begin examining its misspellings and grammatical errors. The emails objective is to persuade you to click on the highlighted link and provide personal information, which, I suppose, will then be used for identity theft.

I googled it and found that it has been in circulation awhile, but I haven’t seen it before and wanted to alert you to it.

If you receive any email that seems suspicious, google it before you reply to it, and, if it purports to be from a government agency, go to that agencys website. It’s likely that the agency already knows about it and has issued an alert.

Don't furnish your personal information to anyone, either online, or over the telephone, or otherwise, unless you know for sure who you're dealing with.

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

Edited by - Steve Milby on 02/20/2012 07:24:36

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 02/20/2012 : 09:07:42

Good warning--thanks.

A related caution I've offered to many of my less-than-net-savvy friends: Never use a link in an e-mail to access anything that has to do with any personal information--such as an ID and password. Most of us have probably received "phishing" letters from what appears to be "our bank"--saying something like they will "terminate our access unless we re-validate our security codes... Just follow the link below..." What shows up is the bank's normal log-in page, with logo and other standard adornments... (It's unbelievably easy to capture and use an entire web page to create a facsimile.)

If the e-mail includes your name or other identifying information, it's probably legit... However, any time I get anything from my bank, brokerage, etc., that suggests I log in, I use my standard bookmark to access my accounts--not the e-mail link. Not that this guarantees I won't get my identity stolen... Hopefully it'll just take a little longer. I have also been lobbying my bank and brokerage to stop putting log-in links in their e-mails--it fosters a habit that their customers should be encouraged to break.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 02/20/2012 09:10:50

Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 02/20/2012 : 09:13:25

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Steve Milby
 
On its surface, it is fairly convincing, until you begin examining its misspellings and grammatical errors.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Not convincing at all...the grammar is horrible....laughable really.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 02/20/2012 : 09:15:37

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Joe Diver
 ...the grammar is horrible...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">...to those of us who know our grammar.

Edited by - on

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5902 Posts

Response Posted - 02/20/2012 : 09:58:49

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Joe Diver
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Steve Milby
 
On its surface, it is fairly convincing, until you begin examining its misspellings and grammatical errors.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Not convincing at all...the grammar is horrible....laughable really.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">The copy that I reproduced above isn't the exact one that I actually received. I deleted it before deciding to post this alert, so I had to find another example of it online. I think the "perp" had edited some of the grammatical errors out of the copy that I received. You can't always rely on the transparent stupidity of perps. The educational level of some of them seems to be improving.

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 02/20/2012 : 12:33:29

Form 5471 instructions, per IRS:
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i5471.pdf
Enjoy!

Edited by - dmpilc on 02/20/2012 12:33:55

Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 02/20/2012 : 15:07:46

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Steve Milby
 The copy that I reproduced above isn't the exact one that I actually received. I deleted it before deciding to post this alert, so I had to find another example of it online. I think the "perp" had edited some of the grammatical errors out of the copy that I received. You can't always rely on the transparent stupidity of perps. The educational level of some of them seems to be improving.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

You don't have to explain it to me....Dave's the one who said your grammar skills were questionable....

Edited by - Joe Diver on 02/20/2012 15:09:34

DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 02/20/2012 : 16:59:07

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I just received the following email<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

The IRS or any other Governmental organization, or anyone else attempting to contact you for any legal matter whatsoever, would NEVER email you to inform you of anything. What's more, if you get it, read it, have it mailed to you, are provided a link to; anything on the internet, consider it false until you prove it true.

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5373 Posts

Response Posted - 02/20/2012 : 20:38:43

The IRS usually doesn't send an email, they usually send an invitation to visit them in the office, otherwise known as an audit!
About once a month, I get an email from my ISP or email provider threatening to shut down my service. Mostly I can hear the accent of the guy who wrote the message and think of "Latka".

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