I recently received the old “The IRS wants to give you money” scam in my inbox. Usually, I just delete these things without thinking, but I took a closer look at this one.
I’ve posted the email below, but I want to point out some things first.- Note the first URL. This actually points to an image on the IRS site. This can help to assure even some savvy users that this might be legit. The first thing that I look for is a valid URL (not the link text, but the underlying URL). This one is legit. However, it is just a picture.
- Now just look at the text. It doesn’t seem all that strange, but it should make you think a little. Doesn’t it sound too conversational for the IRS? IRS and government communications are usually rather dry sounding. Not to mention, they don’t sign letters, “Internal Revenue Service”.
- Last, but surely not least, is the link to apply for your refund. I may be wrong, but given the current climate in Washington D.C., I don’t think that they are going to name their server “tehran”. Even if they did, how likely is it that the IRS’s server is in Iran? The best thing is that these guys didn’t even try to cover it up with misleading link text.
I’d suggest that you NOT follow this link. You never know what nasty stuff they have on the site. I just thought that it was a classic phishing email and that you had to see it.
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After the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of $109.30. Please submit the tax refund request and allow us 6-9 days in order to process it.
A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons. For example submitting invalid records or applying after the deadline. To access the form for your tax refund, please click here http://www.tehran.agri-jahad.ir:84/irs.htm Regards,Internal Revenue Service © Copyright 2007, Internal Revenue Service U.S.A..
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