Attorney General Long Warns Consumers of Fraudulent Tax Refund Emails

PIERRE, S.D. - Attorney General Larry Long said today that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) refund scam is resurfacing in South Dakota. The Consumer Protection Division has received several inquires from consumers who have been targeted by this scam. Attorney General Long is asking consumers to proceed with caution when visiting websites that either associate themselves with the IRS or have the appearance of the IRS site.

This most recent scam begins with a bogus email. The subject line is entitled "Notification of Tax Refund". The text of the email informs the consumer that after the last annual calculation of fiscal activity the IRS has determined the consumer is eligible to receive a tax refund. They then provide a link that will redirect to a fraudulent site where the consumer will be asked to disclose personal information such as social security or bank account numbers. Some emails have specifically asked for a credit card number so the credit can be applied directly to the card. Bogus emails with the words IRS or government tend to make consumers believe they are coming from the federal government. The IRS does not request personal identifying information over unsolicited emails. If you receive an email that uses the IRS name call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040 to verify. The official IRS website is www.irs.gov. It is important to remember the official IRS website offers tax information for consumers, but the exchange of private financial information is limited.

If you have additional questions about this scam contact the Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-300-1986 or send an email to consumerhelp@state.sd.us.

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