Help Me Hank: Inbox intrusion

Long lines at the post office, it must be tax day, April 15th!  But by October most taxpayers, like Anne Marie, have long gotten their refund check.  So, when she got an e-mail with the subject: notification of tax refund, she wasn't quite sure what to think.

Anne Marie Dorsey, taxpayer
"It looked official."

She opened it and it said the IRS had a $209.30 tax refund for her. To claim it she should just click on this link.

Anne Marie Dorsey, taxpayer
"I was curious."

When she opened the page it had an IRS heading and links to tax forms. All she had to do was fill out her social security number and debit card information. Wait a minute.

Anne Marie Dorsey, taxpayer
"That's when I stopped."

But was there tax refund money waiting for her?

Anne Marie Dorsey, taxpayer
"That's why I called channel 7."

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Investigative reporter
"Would the IRS tell someone they had a refund by e-mail?"

Peggy Riley, IRS spokesperson
"No, we not be sending out e-mails; any types of these e-mails to tax payers at all."

We checked with the Internal Revenue Service, and insiders confirm it's a scam. And what's more, they've had at least 17,000 reports of them last year alone! They all have one goal, to get your personal information and steal your identity.

Peggy Riley, IRS spokesperson
"They're preying on taxpayers and hoping that they'll believe that this is a real message from the IRS."

At first glance the real IRS website and this fake one look pretty similar. Check the addresses, if it doesn't begin with www.irs.gov, it's not the real deal. Another red flag if the e-mail asks for personal info.

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Investigative reporter
Doesn't the IRS know people's personal information?

Peggy Riley, IRS spokesperson
"If a tax payer has already filed their return, we wouldn't need to ask what their social security number and other information is. And we wouldn't be asking for credit card information at all."

Investigations found these fake sites are hosted in countries all over the world -- from Argentina to Slovakia to the U.S.

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Investigative reporter
"Are you trying to catch these people? Who are they?"

Peggy Riley, IRS spokesperson
"We've shut down many of them."

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Investigative reporter
"And then?"

Peggy Riley, IRS spokesperson
"They just pop up somewhere else."

So Anne Marie, go ahead and delete that e-mail from your inbox. If you have a refund, you'll hear about it by snail mail.

Anne Marie Dorsey, taxpayer
"I'm glad I didn't go any further."

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Investigative reporter
The IRS does want your help. If you get a suspicious e-mail the agency asks you to forward it to phishing@irs.gov.

(Copyright 2007 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)