Going through some spam traps, I found I received a fake IRS e-mail today that was a phishing scam. It included a fake W-8BEN form as a PDF to fill in and to fax to a number listed on the form.
When I googled the fax number (1-718-709-7573), I was amazed to see that the same scam had already been written about on other websites six months earlier. I rang the number from a Skype account and heard the unmistakable sounds of a fax machine.
Presumably this means that the phone number still hadn’t been shut down after half a year.
Somebody is making it too easy for criminals.
Just receives one of those IRS scam emails too. Same fax number and form to fill out. They even asked me to send in a copy of my passport.
Since I used to be a non-resident alien, I almost thought the email was intended for me. But then I wondered why they have my email address and why they want me to fax it to a NY number while I live in CA…. Anyway, thanks to google, I found out about the scammers and am about to prepare a 1000 page word document filled with lines of f**k you! on all pages to be faxed to that fax number 🙂
Pej has a great idea here, the only way to defeat this type of crook is to make it unprofitable for them. That fax number should be flooded with millions of pages of trash, Maybe if enough people do this it will break their fax machine, and block some of their potential victims from sending their info.
Surprise here! I also had the same experience several times and found this blog to be fortune assuring that my assumption is in correct! Thank you for your post.
(copy of the fake e-mail details)
————————————————————————————————-
Department of Treasury Internal Revenue Service.
http://www.irs.gov
Application for a not ordinary resident (non-resident) saver to receive interest without tax taken off or deducted.
ATTN ;
Our records indicate that you are a non-resident alien. As a result, you are exempted from United States of America Tax reporting and withholdings, on interest paid you on your account and other financial dealing to protect your exemption from tax on your account and other financial benefit in rectifying your exemption status.
Therefore, you are to authenticate the following by completing W-8BEN FORM, and return to us as soon as possible via fax number enclosed on W-8BEN FORM.
If you are a USA Citizen and resident, this W-8BEN FORM is not meant for you, please indicate “USA Citizen/Resident” on the form and return it to us. We shall then send you a form W9095.
When completing W-8BEN FORM, please follow the steps below
1. We need you to provide your permanent address if different from the current mailing address on your W-8BEN FORM , you must indicate if a non-USA resident, your country of origin to support your non-resident status (if your bank account or other financial dealing has a USA address for mailing purpose).
2. If any joint account holder are now USA residents or Citizen, or in any way subject to USA tax reporting laws, Please check the box in this section.
3. Please have all account holders sign and date the form separately and fax it to the above-mentioned number.
Please, complete W-8BEN FORM attached” and return to us within 1 (one) week from the receipt of this letter by faxing it, to enable us update your records immediately if your account or any other financial benefits are not rectified in a timely manner, it will be subject to USA tax reporting and back up withholding (if back up withholding applies, we are required to withhold 30% of the interest paid to you).
What you need to do
Print out the attached notification and complete the attached W-8BEN FORM and Fax same along with a copy of your international passport to fax number on the form within 7 working days.
List of required documents:
1. A copy of filled W-8BEN FORM.
2. A photocopy of the photo page of your international passport.
This fax # is still on… Got a scam email today from the fake “autoreply@irs.gov”
2017 and the fax is still working