Snowe Fights Internet Phishing, As The Scam Tops The IRS’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ List
Phishing
Bangor Daily News
Vicki Ekstrom
Boston University Washington News Service
3/21/2008
WASHINGTON – Internet phishing – the name given to scams that trick people into revealing personal information through emails – topped the Internal Revenue Service’s “Dirty Dozen” list released last week of the 12 most common and costly tax scams.
With tax deadline approaching and citizens expecting economic stimulus package checks, scammers are enticing many to release information that they should not be sending over the internet.
“Many of these scams involve official-looking e-mail messages that try to trick the recipient into entering their personal information at a fake IRS Web site by stating in the email that they are eligible for a refund check,” Sen. Olympia Snowe, R- Maine, said.
Peggy Riley, a spokeswoman for the IRS, warns that citizens will get their economic stimulus check by filing an income tax form, not through email.
“We’re really working hard to warn people not to click any links that come to them through email asking for personal information,” Riley said in an interview. “Sometimes it looks too good to be true.”
To combat such scams, Snowe introduced legislation in February to end phishing and related practices, including the use of fraudulent or misleading domain names.
The Anti-Phishing Consumer Protection Act of 2008 clearly defines phishing as a deceptive practice. It gives the Federal Trade Commission more authority to penalize “phishers” and makes phishing a higher priority for the commission. Additionally, the legislation gives state attorneys general the power to fine the scammers.
“Phishing and other online fraud activities directly undermine the vital trust of online consumers,” Snowe said when she introduced her bill. “In a world that is growing more dependent on technology, we need to take every step possible to make the Internet safer and more reliable. This begins with restoring the trust and consumer confidence that has been eroded by the prevalence of deceptive emails and Web sites that are defrauding the American people.”
Coined in the late 1990s, the word “phishing” comes from the analogy that scammers are “fishing” for personal data from the sea of Internet users. “Ph” is a common replacement for “f” in hacker lingo, according to the Anti-Phishing Working Group, a global association focused on eliminating Internet fraud and identity theft.
There were more than 25,000 reports of phishing during the month of December, according to the group. Phishing scams and other forms of online fraud have increased by 57 percent from last year, claiming more than 3.5 million American victims.
Experts from the business, government, technology, advocacy and academic communities will gather in Washington on April 1 at a conference called by the Federal Trade Commission to discuss strategies to increase awareness of phishing.
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