You have an IRS refund, and someone wants it.

Even before the Economic Stimulus package was approved, scammers were sending emails wanting to verify consumers personal information to process their refunds. It is a scam and the emails are continuing to come.

The Federal Trade Commission has issued a warning to consumers advising them that the IRS and Social Security Administration do not collect refund or rebate information by telephone or email. This is a phishing attempt to get personal information over the phone or a phony website. This information could then be used to facilitate identity theft.

Urge your customers to keep their confidential information confidential. Consumers should not provide this information over the web and certainly not to someone who calls them. Even if the caller provides a number to call them back, consumers should verify that the number is correct. These scammers are known to provide fake call-back numbers that just ring in their offices, just like they'll provide false website addresses.