SECURITY ALERT -- Phishing Related to Issuance of Economic Stimulus Checks
05/08/08
ATTENTION Meriwest Members: The FBI warns consumers of recently reported spam e-mail purportedly from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which is actually an attempt to steal consumer information. The e-mail advises the recipient that direct deposit is the fastest and easiest way to receive their economic stimulus tax rebate. The message contains a hyperlink to a fraudulent form which requests the recipient's personally identifiable information, including bank account information. To convince consumers to reply, the e-mail warns that a failure to complete the form in a timely manner will delay the issuance of the rebate check.
One example of this IRS spam e-mail message is as follows:
"Over 130 million Americans will receive refunds as part of President Bush's program to jumpstart the economy.
Our records indicate that you are qualified to receive the 2008 Economic Stimulus Refund.
The fastest and easiest way to receive your refund is by direct deposit to your checking/savings account.
Please follow the link and fill out the form and submit before May 10th, 2008 to ensure that your refund will be processed as soon as possible.
Submitting your form on May 10th, 2008 or later means that your refund will be delayed due to the volume of requests we anticipate for the Economic Stimulus Refund.
To access Economic Stimulus refund, please click here."
Consumers are advised that the IRS does not initiate taxpayer communications via e-mail. In addition, the IRS does not request detailed personal information via e-mail or ask taxpayers for the PIN numbers, passwords, or similar secret access information for their credit card, bank, or other financial accounts.
Please be cautious of unsolicited e-mails. It is recommended not to open e-mails from unknown senders because they often contain viruses or other malicious software. It is also recommended to avoid clicking links in e-mails received from unknown senders as this is a popular method of directing victims to phishing websites.
As a reminder, members must NEVER send sensitive information -- such as passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, secret words or personal identification numbers (PIN) -- in an e-mail or submit them through a Web site.
In addition, members are advised NEVER to click directly on links in an e-mail that requests these types of sensitive information, even if members recognize and trust the address. These links can actually redirect you to a fake Web site that appears legitimate.
Please note that you will NEVER receive an e-mail from Meriwest asking you to renew or verify information about your account. If you do, please report it to us immediately by calling 877-MERIWEST or send an e-mail to contact_center@meriwest.com.
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