# Most Obvious Phishing Attempt Ever!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 30, 2008, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obvious-phishing-attempt-ever/435601 "2008-01-30T16:56:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hybrid\_dogfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@hybrid\_dogfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hybrid_dogfish)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obvious-phishing-attempt-ever/435601/1 "2008-01-30T16:56:22Z")
I think that this has to count as one of the most transparent phishing attempts I have ever received. Bear in mind I am a British citizen, and have only been to the US once. Imagine my surprise when I noticed that the IRS had sent me an email (nice that they are saving money by using free webmail to contact people about these sort of things - tax - refund at [gmail.com](http://gmail.com)) > [@](#): > > ``` > Notification of Tax Refund on your VISA or MasterCard Now > > ``` > > Dear Citizen: > > After the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity > we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of $203.59. > Please submit the tax refund request and allowus 6-9 days in order to process it. > A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons. > For example submitting invalid records or applying after the deadline. > > To access the form for your tax refund, please click here : > > [http://BROKENONPURPOSE.us/bfd7m](http://BROKENONPURPOSE.us/bfd7m) > \> For security reasons, we will record your ip-address, the date and time. > \> Deliberate wrong inputs are criminally pursued and indicated > Regards, > Internal Revenue Service > \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* > © Copyright 2008, Internal Revenue Service U.S.A. > \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* If anyone has any ideas as to what to do with this, I am open to suggestions (the only contact I can get for the IRS is the US Embassy, which I thought might be a little extreme!) ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obvious-phishing-attempt-ever/435601/2 "2008-01-30T17:05:27Z")
[QUOTE=hybrid\_dogfish] I think that this has to count as one of the most transparent phishing attempts I have ever received. Bear in mind I am a British citizen, and have only been to the US once. Imagine my surprise when I noticed that the IRS had sent me an email (nice that they are saving money by using free webmail to contact people about these sort of things - tax - refund at [gmail.com](http://gmail.com)) If anyone has any ideas as to what to do with this, I am open to suggestions (the only contact I can get for the IRS is the US Embassy, which I thought might be a little extreme!) [/QUOTE] Forward it to [phishing@irs.gov](mailto:phishing@irs.gov) More information [here](http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=155682,00.html). ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obvious-phishing-attempt-ever/435601/3 "2008-01-30T17:16:15Z")
> [@IRS](#): > > The Internal Revenue Service has issued several recent consumer warnings on the fraudulent use of the IRS name or logo by scamsters trying to gain access to consumers’ financial information in order to steal their identity and assets. I think it would be awesome if another branch of the federal government provided those “scamsters” with man-sized exercise wheels for their new cages. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obvious-phishing-attempt-ever/435601/4 "2008-01-30T17:51:30Z")
I was looking for some information on this scam when I went to went to a page that looked a bit phishy. Instead of loading the page, I got a popup with the following > [@firefox](#): > > Suspected web forgery > > This page has been reported as a web forgery designed to trick users designed to trick users into sharing personal or financial information… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![hybrid\_dogfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@hybrid\_dogfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hybrid_dogfish)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obvious-phishing-attempt-ever/435601/5 "2008-01-30T18:20:38Z")
[QUOTE=asterion] Forward it to [phishing@irs.gov](mailto:phishing@irs.gov) More information [here](http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=155682,00.html). [/QUOTE] Thankyou!! That’s pretty much what I was looking for. Email being forwarded. The thing that really struck me was the idea that someone could honestly think that an email from a gmail address would be from a government department. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obvious-phishing-attempt-ever/435601/6 "2008-01-30T18:41:59Z")
Wow. That one’s so lame I can’t even imagine how even the most obtuse neophite could fall for it. I can’t help but think that if this particular scam were pulled in the days before E-Mail, it would have been written on sheets of orange craft paper. In crayon. Including the little IRS logo, which would end up looking like a duck. And it would be signed “I.P. Freely.” ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obvious-phishing-attempt-ever/435601/7 "2008-01-30T19:08:16Z")
I can’t believe they think someone is supposed to excited over the prospect of 203 dollars- I’m no Bill Gates by any means, but geez, aren’t you supposed to promise them a lot more to get them excited about the windfall? ---
**Author:** ![Wargamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Wargamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wargamer)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obvious-phishing-attempt-ever/435601/8 "2008-01-30T21:33:51Z")
If it was on orange paper, wouldn’t it have been signed by ‘I.P. Strangely’? ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obvious-phishing-attempt-ever/435601/9 "2008-01-30T21:36:38Z")
[QUOTE=hybrid\_dogfish] The thing that really struck me was the idea that someone could honestly think that an email from a gmail address would be from a government department. [/QUOTE] You mean that isn’t what the G in gmail stands for? Well, that’s $203.59 I’ll never see again. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obvious-phishing-attempt-ever/435601/10 "2008-01-30T21:38:23Z")
[QUOTE=hybrid\_dogfish] The thing that really struck me was the idea that someone could honestly think that an email from a gmail address would be from a government department. [/QUOTE] What’s the problem? G is for Government, hence gmail! DUH!!! 😃 Damn you, Sean!!! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obvious-phishing-attempt-ever/435601/11 "2008-01-30T21:39:21Z")
Oh, so close **Mom**. ---
**Author:** ![Aangelica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Aangelica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aangelica)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obvious-phishing-attempt-ever/435601/12 "2008-01-30T21:49:42Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] I can’t believe they think someone is supposed to excited over the prospect of 203 dollars- I’m no Bill Gates by any means, but geez, aren’t you supposed to promise them a lot more to get them excited about the windfall? [/QUOTE] I think in some ways, that might actually make it _more_ plausible to some folks. In the “who would bother counterfeiting $1 bills” sort of way, if you see what I mean. $203.59 is the sort of amount one can plausibly imagine the IRS refunding as a result of an error. This is the size windfall that’s big enough to be worth screwing with, but not so large as to invite you to engage your critical thinking capability. Move the decimal point one way or the other and it’s either not worth the bother (for $20.36) or panic-inducing (how the hell did I manage to be $2,035.90 off on my taxes last year? WTF?) This is still blatant phishing of course 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obvious-phishing-attempt-ever/435601/13 "2008-01-30T21:51:23Z")
> [@](#): > > I can’t believe they think someone is supposed to excited over the prospect of 203 dollars- I’m no Bill Gates by any means, but geez, aren’t you supposed to promise them a lot more to get them excited about the windfall? It depends on the scam. $200 is a plausible amount for an IRS refund, and it’s enough money that folks will typically think it’s worth filling out a form or two to get it. If people got an e-mail saying they were owed a refund of a million bucks, they wouldn’t believe it. I think that this particular set of scams uses a randomly-generated amount, though. I’ve seen versions which promise 63 cents, or some such, too. ---
**Author:** ![PuddingCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@PuddingCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PuddingCat)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obvious-phishing-attempt-ever/435601/14 "2008-01-30T23:45:47Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] I think that this particular set of scams uses a randomly-generated amount, though. I’ve seen versions which promise 63 cents, or some such, too. [/QUOTE] I also had this one and for the same 200 dollar amount mentioned. I sent them a few rude suggestions on thier submit form, poked about the website a little and then went to mail their netblock owner. tim ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obvious-phishing-attempt-ever/435601/15 "2008-01-31T01:50:54Z")
> [@](#): > > Dear Citizen: > > After the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity > we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of $203.59. > Please submit the tax refund request and allowus 6-9 days in order to process it. > A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons. > For example submitting invalid records or applying after the deadline. > > To access the form for your tax refund, please click here : > [http://BROKENONPURPOSE.us/bfd7m](http://BROKENONPURPOSE.us/bfd7m) > > \> For security reasons, we will record your ip-address, the date and time. > \> Deliberate wrong inputs are criminally pursued and indicated The IRS speaks bureaucratese, not English as a Second Language. ---
**Author:** ![hybrid\_dogfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@hybrid\_dogfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hybrid_dogfish)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obvious-phishing-attempt-ever/435601/16 "2008-01-31T09:50:03Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug] The IRS speaks bureaucratese, not English as a Second Language. [/QUOTE] Indeed, I can’t help but think that _if_ a government department were to contact someone by email for whatever reason, the email would be at least 8 times as long as this one, and leave you going 😕