Important Announcements

Economic Stimulus Refund Phishing Scam. A number of phishing scam emails are currently targeting US taxpayers by offering bogus refund payments as bait. This email, purporting to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), claims that the recipient is qualified to receive the 2008 Economic Stimulus Refund. The recipient is instructed to follow a link in the message in order to fill in an online form, ostensibly to allow the refund to be processed. The email includes the IRS logo and copyright notice and is from a seemingly genuine IRS email address. However, the email is NOT from the IRS.

United States District Court Subpoena Malware Email. This seemingly official email purports to be a subpoena sent by the United States District Court. The message claims that the recipient must testify before a Grand Jury at a specified place and time. The recipient is instructed to follow a link in the message to download and print a complete copy of the subpoena document. However, the message is NOT from the United States District Court. In fact, the message is an attempt to trick recipients into installing information-stealing malware on their computers.

Visa Personal Password Phishing Scam. An email claiming that recipients can protect their VISA credit card for online purchases by clicking a link in the message and creating a personal password. However, the message is just another phishing scam and was not sent by Visa. Those who fall for the ruse and click the link will be taken to a very sophisticated, but fraudulent, website that has been designed to closely resemble the genuine Visa website.

Mail Server Report. According to this warning message, a dangerous virus is being distributed via emails with the subject line "Mail Server Report". The warning claims that opening attachments that come with the email will first display a message saying "It is too late now, your life is no longer beautiful" before destroying all files on the infected computer and stealing personal information. However these claims are untrue. There is not, nor has there ever been, a virus like the one described in this bogus warning message.