Identity thieves trying to obtain victims’ tax rebate checks

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer would like to make the public aware of a new scam that has hit Fresno residents.

In addition to stimulating the economy, the new rebate checks starting to come out are also stimulating something else—identity theft.

As part of President Bush’s plan to jump-start the economy, the Internal Revenue Service is in the midst of processing the extra money to give to taxpayers called the “Economic Stimulus Refund”.

In Fresno, some thieves are taking this opportunity to try and scam residents out of their personal information without their knowledge. We received our first report from a resident who received an email claiming to be from the I.R.S. The email states the victim must fill out an application for this refund and asks for personal information including a bank account number, PIN number, and social security number. In another scam, alleged I.R.S. representatives were going to homes to gather personal information. These scams and others have already occurred throughout the nation.

In reality, the stimulus refunds are distributed the same way as residents would receive their tax rebate, whether by direct deposit or paper check. The I.R.S. will not ask anyone for this information, as they already have it on your tax return.

If you get a questionable e-mail like the one mentioned, the I.R.S. urges you to forward to them at phising@irs.gov. This should also be reported to Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. For further information, you may go to www.irs.gov.

Please contact Public Information Officer Cynthia Valdez at 621-2111 or 699-0200(pager) with any media inquiries.

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