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It is not unsual for crime doer’s to pose as banks or other entities in hopes of stealing our identities. Phishing e-mails are an internet scam to gather our personal information. These sneaky masterminds ask us to verify our passwords, log in information, or other private information.

For years, we’ve been warned. Our banks sent us notices with our statements. Our friends e-mailed us chain letters about it. Our government issued warnings and it’s been headlines news.

A while back I received an e-mail from my bank. They needed me to update my password because they upgraded their security program. The e-mail looked like the fancy graphic e-mails they usual send. Their logo was prominently displayed in the upper corner. I clicked the link and a new web page opened. I was at a site that looked identical to my bank log-in screen. Something didn’t feel right about this whole situation. Fortunately, I was suspicious and didn’t proceed.

I opened another browser window and went to the usual address I use to log into my online banking. I did a side by side comparison of the screens. It was a phishing scam! They replicated my banks website with amazing accuracy. It was eerie. The only way I was able to tell it wasn’t legit? The address in the website address bar had one extra digit that my banks web address does not. So, beware. It can happen to any of us.

Scammers are really getting gutsy. Now they are posing as the Internal Revenue Service. Yes, the IRS. The IRS issued a new warning about suspicious e-mails and identity theft. The phishers are fraudulently using the IRS name and logos to trick people into providing personal information.

One lure is very tempting. E-mails from addresses like “tax-refunds@irs.gov” and “admin@irs.gov” claim you’re due a tax refund. These e-mails contain links to a website that looks convincingly similar to an actual page on the IRS website. The site you are directed to proceeds to asks for personal information that the IRS would never request.

There are other similar schemes to be aware of. One targets people who use credit cards to make federal tax payments. Another includes a bogus form and asks non-residents to provide their mothers maiden name and passport number. For more information on the IRS phishing scams visit. http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=155682,00.html.

If you receive one of these e-mails, do not respond. Follow these instructions to forward the e-mail to the IRS.

What’s next for phishing scams? Perhaps phishers will claim to be the FBI. We can be more alert and cautious when giving our private information. Most important of all, trust our instincts. As phishing progresses, its techniques will become more and more deceptive.