We hear so much about scams, identity theft, fraud — and of course at tax time even more so.
Over the weekend, this hit close to home as I found one of those “suspicious” emails in my own personal inbox from “IRS.online.services.” At first, when you see “IRS,” that grabs your attention — but so do the red flags. The body of the letter told me I had to update my “account information” in 24 hours, and that my “account” had been deactivated. “Kindly click the link below,” the missive advised, adding that “failure to do this would result in delay/refusal of your refund.”
Nope, don’t think so.
About 99.9 percent sure it was a scam, I visited irs.gov, where directions said: “Report all unsolicited email claiming to be from the IRS or an IRS-related function to phishing@irs.gov.” However, apparently, some of these scammers have figured out a way to prevent you from forwarding emails. I made several attempts, to no avail. “Blast! We can’t send this message right now,” said one error message when I tried to forward the email. “Email cannot be sent due to an error,” said another.
Back to the drawing board. I called the IRS taxpayer information number; after a couple of transfers I reached the office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), where a representative helped me format and forward the suspicious communication.
So, beware: If you receive an email that says it’s from the IRS, think twice. Each agent I spoke with explained that the IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers through email; an email claiming to be from the IRS is a phishing attempt and should be reported. Additionally, they urged, consumers should not divulge personal financial information through any email or phone call claiming to be from the IRS, no matter how threatening the communication seems.
The Presque Isle Police Department advises similar caution.
“If the IRS is trying to get hold of you, it will not be by telephone or email. It will be by the U.S. Postal Service,” Sgt. Eric Erickson said yesterday.
Erickson said scams have become so rampant that the department is getting numerous inquiries from the public. “It’s awful the number of phone calls that we’re getting a day,” he said. “The IRS is promoting this big lately because it’s going on so much. They [scammers] are being pushy and using scare tactics, but the IRS doesn’t operate like that.
“Just hang up or ignore them, or get rid of the email,” he cautioned. “Don’t give out any personal information, and don’t pay any money.”
The sergeant advised consumers to visit the IRS website to learn about the various phishing and other tax scams, as well as new phone tactics scammers are using to try to get individuals’ personal financial information.Erickson referred to a March 14 consumer alert on the irs.gov website. The alert warns taxpayers that in addition to “aggressive and threatening phone calls” from criminals who claim to be IRS agents, scammers are now trying to induce people to “verify” tax return information by phone and email. TIGTA, the publication said, by January had received reports of approximately 896,000 phone scam contacts since October 2013, and just this year has seen a 400 percent increase in phishing scams.The alert advises consumers to visit “ Tax Scams and Consumer Alerts” on IRS.gov for further information.
Spud virus forum
A location has been announced for a Monday evening presentation on the potato virus known as Dickeya.
According to Steve Johnson, crops specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Presque Isle, the event is planned from 6:30-8:30 p.m. March 21 in Room 105 Folsom Hall at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
The presenters will be: Eric Hitchcock, Seed Certification Program manager with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, who will speak on regulatory updates regarding Dickeya and Blackleg; and Johnson, who will discuss Dickeya myths and realities, what the virus does, how it survives and why there is so much confusion surrounding it.
Two pesticide credits and CCA credits should be available, Johnson indicated. He urged those interested to come and learn about the science of the disease and planned regulatory efforts, and encouraged attendees to bring questions to be answered.
