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Sunday, February 25, 2018

An old tax scam — with a troubling new twist

(Click on the image for Michelle Singletary's Washington Post report)
The IRS has issued a warning to taxpayers about a scam in which a fraudulently obtained tax refund is deposited into a victim’s actual bank account. Here’s how it works:
  • Cybercriminals steal people’s data from tax professionals, including routing and bank account numbers. The crooks file fraudulent tax returns. Fake refunds are then direct deposited into taxpayers’ real bank accounts.
  • In one version of this scam, the criminals then contact victims claiming to be from a debt-collection agency, and they say the refunds were deposited in error. They claim they are now trying to get the refund back for the IRS.