IRS Scam Largest of Its Kind Yet, What Taxpayers Should Know – AARP

At least 20,000 taxpayers have been contacted in this sophisticated ruse, added Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration Russell George, with “thousands of victims” having already paid more than $1 million to fraudsters posing as IRS agents.

The scheme goes like this: The Taxman tricksters claim you owe taxes, and demand immediate payment using a prepaid debit card or a wire transfer. Refuse and you’re threatened with arrest, deportation or the loss of your business or driver’s license.

To suggest further authenticity for their phony phone calls, the scammers have been known to also spoof an IRS toll-free phone number on your caller ID, give common names and fake IRS badge numbers, and follow up their calls with emails purporting to be from the agency.

“If someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from the IRS and uses threatening language if you don’t pay immediately, that is a sign that it really isn’t the IRS calling,” George said in a statement.

Here’s why,,,

IRS Scam Largest of Its Kind Yet, What Taxpayers Should Know – AARP

SCAM ALERT::Check Your Debit, Credit Card Statements For “BLS WebLearn” Scam Transactions – Consumerist

In the last week, there have been a flurry of complaints online about mysterious transactions attributed to a company called “BLS WebLearn” with a phone number of 888-461-2032.

The charges made by this company are relatively low in value, hovering in the $10-15 vicinity.

Over at DailyKos.com, one writer recently shared his story about how the scam started as a questionable transaction for $12.96 and ended with his bank account being cleaned out. According to this unfortunate soul, the source of the original purchase was supposedly in Malta, but once the scammers realized that this credit card number was legitimate, someone in The Netherlands enjoyed themselves with his funds.

We attempted to call the number associated with this transaction but it only leads to an automated recording that promises to be with you shortly. Matt Ryan at 94.3 FM in New Jersey had the same non-result when he tried to call.

Check Your Debit, Credit Card Statements For “BLS WebLearn” Scam Transactions – Consumerist

IRS releases list of "Dirty Dozen" tax scams of 2014 - CBS News

The IRS has a warning for Americans -- watch out for tax scams.

Every year the agency releases a "Dirty Dozen" list of the worst tax scams out there. This year, identity theft and phone scams top the list.

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen says even the savviest taxpayers can fall victim if they aren't careful.

"These schemes jump every year at tax time," he said. "Scams can be sophisticated and take many different forms. We urge people to protect themselves and use caution when viewing e-mails, receiving telephone calls or getting advice on tax issues."

IRS releases list of "Dirty Dozen" tax scams of 2014 - CBS News

Point of Sale Cyber Attacks Expected to Rise at Retail Stores – AARP

Typically, when a customer or store clerk swipes a credit or debit card, data from its magnetic stripe is collected by the POS terminal for transfer to the retailer’s payment processing provider.

But before that data is encrypted, nearly undetectable RAM scrapers — installed remotely but exactly how is still being investigated — allow hackers to extract account numbers, PINs and users’ personal information while it is in the computer’s live memory, where it very briefly appears in plain text.

“We believe POS malware crime will continue to grow over the near term, despite law enforcement and security firms’ actions to mitigate it,” said the FBI report obtained by Reuters. “The accessibility of the malware on underground forums, the affordability of the software and the huge potential profits to be made from retail POS systems in the United States make this type of financially motivated cyber crime attractive to a wide range of actors.”

On the black market, this malware sells for up to $6,000, and some reports indicate these hackers may be tied to the Russian mob. The FBI noted that one variant, known as Alina, included an option that allowed for “remote upgrades” to make it even harder for corporate security teams to identify and stop.

Point of Sale Cyber Attacks Expected to Rise at Retail Stores – AARP

Better Business Bureau Consumer Alert: Growing Concern Over New Cell Phone Scam - BBB News Center

It's called the "One Ring" scam because the scammers program computers to send thousands of calls to random cell phone numbers, ring once and then disconnect. The scammers then hope you are curious enough about the call that you return the call right away.

"As of yet, we have not had any complaints filed but given how rapidly this scam is spreading and growing across the country our opinion is it won't be long." said Steve J. Bernas, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and Northern Illinois. When the cell phone owner returns the call, they are charged $19.95 for the international call fee. After that, there is a $9.00 per minute charge. "Often they will first hear music then maybe advertising but it's easy to see how quickly these charges can add up," noted Bernas.

Consumers who have been duped by these calls report that they are coming from the Caribbean Islands including Grenada, Antigua, Jamaica and the British Virgin Islands.

Better Business Bureau Consumer Alert: Growing Concern Over New Cell Phone Scam - BBB News Center

Beware: This $9.84 Credit-Card Charge Isn't As Harmless As It Seems

Credit-card scam artists are continually coming up with new scams, while improving upon old ones. A major scam that's in the news these days is a seemingly innocuous $9.84 charge appearing on many people's credit card statements.

It may seem harmless and minor, but that's the point. The scam is perpetrated by those who have stolen great gobs of credit card numbers, and they're charging a modest sum on each one. (At Target alone, for example, tens of millions of customer accounts recently had data stolen, and Target is one of many such huge corporate victims.) The scammers are correctly thinking that most people won't notice, or won't bother contesting, such a small charge. If you see a false $9.84 charge, though, don't ignore it.

Beware: This $9.84 Credit-Card Charge Isn't As Harmless As It Seems

Scam? not sure

Received this e-mail (8/7/09), it was directed to my spam folder; it took me a few days to check them out.

__________

Dear XXXX,
I represent recruiting company Drive Recruitment (http://DriveRecruitment.com) specialized in searching the candidates at the request of employers all over the world. I have found your resume on Career Builder.

There is a position available at the moment offered by European company. Please see below a short description of this position.

Assistant Director

I'm pleased to offer you a part time employment as a representative of European company, interested in expanding the business to the US market. The company will create the web site oriented to the US customers with high revenues guaranteed by the complex of high-performance promotional measures. In spite of the project's intricate, your duties will be quite easy to perform. No special education or experience are required from your side. Your personal manager will lead you step by step to the success by providing you with detailed and quite easy to understand instructions. This position has a very high potential in a personal income boost as a result of business growing all in all.

The minimum salary at this position is $30,000/year (5 from the project revenues). There are no fees to pay from your side.

As a part-time position it will take only 7-9 hours a week to perform the duties. The same time the company offers you a long term business relationship that is definitely very important in difficult times of financial crisis, because it means a guarantee of getting a stable income regardless of the situation on the labour-market.

To ask for detailed description including duties and responsibilities of the position just respond to this offer with the following subject:

"Interested in getting the position of Assistant Director."

or in case you don't like this offer for any reason, please let me know and I'll try to find something else for you.

Best regards, Anna Mairs
Gjorwellsgatan 28, 112 60 Stockholm, Sweden

__________

I am at a loss as to what to think. I did go to their website, did a Google search looking for anything negative, and a BBB query; nothing negative came up. (Keep in mind I only do quick searches, nothing too involved. Usually if it's a scam, or the company is legal trouble, the red flags show immediately.) Most of the search results showed it is a recruiting company working primarily in Europe and Australia. That's really the only flag--why would a Sweden based company be looking at US based resumes? Also the "no experience" claim and the compensation offered is not realistic.

The company may be legitimate, but the offer seems to lean toward being a scam.

__________
Received another e-mail from AIL, this one from James Bailey. The tone is a bit different, as is the content. I find it a bit funny, any one that reads my resume should notice that I have no sales experience.

Hello, my name is James Bailey, and I am the State General Agent for American Income in the greater Kansas City area. We are looking for top-notch individuals to help us facilitate the rapid expansion that our company is experiencing. We have opportunities for professionals with a variety of backgrounds and expertise to fulfill training, management, and outside sales positions.

American Income has been in business for over 50 years, and is nationally recognized as one of the significant providers of supplemental insurance benefits for members of Labor Unions, Credit Unions, and Associations throughout the United States, Canada and New Zealand.

For more information, please contact our Human Resources department at (816) 994-3686 to schedule an interview.

___________

I am wondering how many of the e-mails I will receive.

And it continues,,,

I'm not sure what to think of this company's job offer, it sounds so sweet BUT,,,

__________
Dear XXXX XXXXXXXXX,

My name is Tabitha Sanders and I represent Vector Group Inc. We've reviewed your resume posted at Careerbuilder.com and I'm glad to propose you a FINANCIAL AGENT vacancy.

We are a large company founded and based in the USA. Vector Group Inc deals mainly with financial services such as escrow services for buyers and sellers (online auctions around the globe, closed commercial auctions where the number of buyers is not large, well-known public online auctions).

This is a part-time position with a flexible schedule. Working 2 to 3 hours a day from your home while staying in contact and receiving all your tasks online.

During the trial period you'll be paid $2,300 a month. Also you'll keep 8% from every money transfer processed. Total income, considering the current volume of clients, will be up to $4500 per month. After you successfully pass the Trial Period, base salary will be increased up to $3000 per month. Furthermore, you may ask for extra hours or even a full-time job.

My goal is sparking your interest. In the present economy our position offers training, support and a pay scale comparable to entry level position requiring 40 hours per week. I hope you will explore, compare, and then contact me with your questions. Please complete the form below with your updated contact information as a part of your return email.

_____________________FORM_________________________
Your Full name:___________________
Your Country of residence:____________________
Your Contact phone:___________
Preferred call time:_____________
_____________________FORM_________________________

We have found your resume at www.careerbuilder.com. This letter confirms that your resume has been duly processed and your skills meet our basic job requirements for the Financial Manager vacancy.

Sincerely yours,
Tabitha Sanders
Vector Group Inc.
__________

The e-mail has grammatical and punctuation errors; the language usage is almost European or French Canadian. Makes one question the legitimacy of the offer. Think this one is joining the others in the junk pile. I won't say that Vectron's job offer is a scam, but I would be leary.

I'm beginning to wonder if I will receive any legitimate offers.

Scams & Spam 2

Received this the other day, it was filtered to my spam folder so I didn't take it too seriously. Let's see if you can determine the one glaring omission from this letter.

__________
from Rebecca Wilson BG
reply-to Rebecca Wilson BG
to xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx (my e-mail)
date Thu, Aug 6, 2009 at 7:43 AM
subject Hello xxxx xxxxxxxxx (my name)
mailed-by yahoo.com
signed-by yahoo.com

Hello XXXX XXXXXXXXX

Right now we are employing new personnel to fill the position of online finance manager. We have examined your resume from job base careerbuilder and we think that you would suit this position well and work with us successfully. If you are still seeking for good wages and need a decent job, please contact us as soon as you could. As you may see this job is really perspective one and vacancies are limited. You can receive training during work. No need to invest any money, except for a set of the best human qualities and time. This job does not require you to leave your main occupation. Experience of work with customers is welcomed. Work of online manager consists of the following: you need to conclude the deals with the company customers offering financial services, work as personal advisors. We also need employees to work at the call service of clients' support and clients' support online. We need responsible and energetic people to fill this position.

Requirements:
- citizenship of USA or United Kingdom
- Age at least 21;
- Computer skills at MS Office, E-mail, Internet;
- Good communication skills;
- Attention to details;
- Opportunity to check your e-mail several times a day;

The schedule of work includes 3-4 hours per day, except Sunday (part-time position). Payment makes up 31,000 $ per year. (500 $ per week) + social insurance and bonuses for good job. We also provide three weeks of paid vacations. This job is a good opportunity and if you miss a chance there can be no another one as the position we offer is a good way to build a successful career in our company. I will send you the detailed information with the description and specificity of work.

You are welcome!

Best Regards,
Senior Manager Rebecca Wilson

__________

So what's not mentioned? The company name. The only way of contacting Rebecca Wilson is by replying to the e-mail received. I am so tempted to reply just to see what company this is but I prefer not to open the flood gates of spam.

Scams & Spam 1

This one is a laugh-er and in my opinion pure SCAM!! The only reason I am taking the time to write about this is to warn others, who may in desperation, fall for this. The fact that it was in my spam folder was my first clue.

First e-mail received 8/3/09 from ail_r2_replies@tmkrms.com:
Hi, my name is BAILEY, JAMES W and I am a State Director for American Income. I saw your resume on the inter-net and felt that I should contact you immediately. Our company currently has openings for several outstanding individuals like you.

If you are an individual seeking a financially rewarding position with a company that is part of the Torchmark Corporation (TMK), a company that truly believes in honesty, integrity and trust, then I would like to speak with you.

Please call my office at 816-251-4582 so we can schedule an interview.

Best regards,
BAILEY, JAMES W
American Income

We would like to keep you updated on exciting job opportunities at American Income Life Insurance Company; This exciting job opportunity is a commission based insurance sales position. We will continue to alert you when we have openings at our local offices. You received this email because you placed your resume on an inter-net job board or responded to one of our job ads. To remove your email address from our list, please do not reply to this email. This will not remove you from future emails. Instead, please use the link below to process your removal requests.

Click here to unsubscribe from further communication regarding job opportunities at American Income Life Insurance Company. Please allow two to three business days for the removal process of your E-mail address to be complete. American Income Life Insurance Company, 1200 Wooded Acres, Waco, TX 76710.

My second spam e-mail received 8/10/09 from Roger Smith (ail_r3_replies@tmkrms.com):
A little more than two weeks ago, we pulled your resume and tried to contact you either by phone or email. As of this date, our records show we have not been able to set up an interview with you. Our ability to search resumes online has allowed us to grow at a pace second to none in our industry. Because of this, we are touching base with individuals who have posted their resumes that meet our requirements for the opportunities we have available.

We are still interviewing and believe you are an excellent candidate. If you are still in the job market and are looking for a highly rewarding position, I encourage you to learn more about this opportunity.

Simply click here or call 1-888-248-6010 to discuss the options we have available for you.

Sincerely,
Roger Smith
Chief Executive Officer
American Income Life

It didn't take much thought in regards to this wonderful job opportunity. First, my phone is a prepaid cell. A quick Google search resulted in a trip to ComplaintsBoard.com where the comments are too numerous to mention. It is a real company but a bad one. I didn't even bother with a BBB search.

Be careful!!