Tis the season to be wary. Unfortunately, that’s the consensus of the Better Business Bureau, the Internal Revenue Service and other agencies reporting a spike in year-end scams. Here’s a summary of some fraud attempts to look out for this holiday season:
Unexpected-windfall scam: A Hawaii man lost $1,750 to con artists who promised him an unexpected federal government reimbursement check, the Hawaii BBB reported earlier this month. Callers falsely claimed to be from the “federal government reimbursement department.” They promised him a $9,200 check if he supplied a $250 iTunes gift card, purportedly to cover the bank processing fee. Once he supplied the gift card number, the demands escalated until he was out $1,750; at that point the victim realized he was being ripped off and reported the crime, the BBB said.
Emergency scam: This scam often targets grandparents, with con artists calling in the middle of the night and claiming that a grandchild or other relative of the victim desperately needs help. A local family lost $2,500 to this scam earlier this month, duped into wiring the money to someone who posed as a lawyer and falsely claimed the victims’ grandson had caused a car crash, was arrested and needed bail money, according to a news report highlighted by the Hawaii BBB.
Santa scam: An unsolicited email promises a personalized letter or phone call for your child from Santa Claus. Scammers capitalize on the fact that legitimate companies offer this service for a fee, and count on recipients clicking on malicious links or typing in their credit card number or other personal information without verifying first whether the offer is genuine. One version of this scam offers a free letter but asks for a lot of personal information, which the scammer uses to commit identity theft, the Hawaii BBB said.
Online-shopping scams: The national nonprofit ScamAwareness.org offers tips to avoid being victimized. Among them: Beware scam websites that appear via pop-up ads or via links in unsolicited emails; check online reviews for unfamiliar websites. Before inputting your credit card, make sure the website URL begins with “https.” The “s” signals that the website is secure. Review credit card bills as soon as they arrive and report unauthorized charges to your bank immediately.
Tax scams: The IRS renewed its alerts about schemes involving identity theft and refund fraud as tax season approaches, noting that these IRS impersonation scams are ever-evolving. Among the most prevalent:
>> Automated calls that leave urgent messages telling taxpayers to call back to settle a (nonexistent) tax bill. Taxpayers might also receive live calls. These scammers demand payments via prepaid debit cards, iTunes and other gift cards, or wire transfer.
>> Telephone scammers target students and parents and demand payment for a fictitious “Federal Student Tax.”
>> Criminals call saying they have your tax return and need to verify some details to process it.
>> Phishing email solicits W-2 information from payroll and human resources professionals, under the name of an actual company executive.
>> Phishing email aimed at tax preparation professionals mimics software providers to trick recipients into installing malware.
>> Phishing email aimed at taxpayers mimics the IRS and tax-software companies.
>> A fake CP2000 notice for tax year 2015 claims Affordable Care Act tax is owed. Might arrive by mail or email.
If you receive a suspicious call, email, letter or text message from someone claiming to be from the IRS, do not provide personal information or make a payment. Hang up the phone. Do not click on any links in an email. Forward suspicious emails to phishing@irs.gov. Report other fraud attempts to the federal tax-integrity hotline at 800-366-4484, the IRS advises.
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
