There are as many scams out there as there are stars in the sky. Just this morning I received an email about filling out an Apple survey to get free money for the app store. It even had an apple.com email address. The problem with most scammers is that they prey on the easy victims. That is what makes this new scam just despicable.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has sent out a warning to residents in New Jersey about a brand new email phishing scam that seems to be targeting veterans. The emails in question appear to come from the Defense Finance and Accounting Services, and even has a .mil email address, an IRS spokeswoman said.
The message tries to get veterans who receive disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs to send them personal information to obtain more money from the IRS. Since most Veterans receiving benefits are on a fixed income, it was really important for the IRS to speak up as fast as a giant government bureaucracy can.
“The information on these documents is then used by the scammers to commit identity theft,” IRS spokeswoman Dianne Besunder said in a statement. “Typically, identity thieves use someone’s personal data to empty the victim’s financial accounts, run up charges on the victim’s existing credit cards or apply for new loans, credit cards, services or benefits in the victim’s name.”
As a reminder for all, the IRS does not send unsolicited emails or ask for personal and financial information for accounts. Just think of it this way, the IRS is out to collect taxes, do you really think that they are going to inform you that you can pay less or get more back? No chance of that happening!
