Las Vegas NowFraud Task Force Warns of New Scam

Fraud Task Force Warns of New Scam

Internet scammers are getting bolder everyday. The latest scam is an email promising money from the IRS. So how do you know what's real or not?

The scammers are sophisticated, savvy and are now pulling info and graphics from government websites -- even changing their email addresses to pose as government officials to solidify their supposed authenticity.

Nevada's Fight Fraud Task Force says internet scams have been on the rise since the governments promise of federal stimulus programs. Internet fraudsters have come up with a new scam. This one is titled tax refund. It promises the victim money from the IRS.

Elisabeth Daniels with the task force says using .gov domain names is used to trick victims into giving away personal information. “They know GOV is a government extension for webpages and email addresses so they use that info to their advantage,” she said.

According to Daniels, the email has several clues to prove it's phony. “It's refund@tax.gov, so you got tax.gov rather than irs.gov,” she said.

There's usually numerous grammatical errors. But the number one reason Daniels says the emails are fake is because it's asking for personal information. “IRS will never solicit personal information from you via email or offer a refund via email. They would never do that,” she said.

And neither would your bank or credit card companies. Daniels says when you get an email like this, look it through before responding. Otherwise the scammers have won and you could lose everything.

Never respond to high-pressure tactics and the promise of easy money through email. If you get one of those emails, send them to Nevada's Fight Fraud Task Force.