Consumers warned about look-alike 'IRS' Web sites
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With the tax filing season in full swing, consumers are being warned about fake IRS Web sites that could trick them into divulging personal financial data.
U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., is calling for a federal probe of sites such as IRS.com, IRS.net and IRS.org, whose look-alike domain names and page designs make some people believe they are at the official Internal Revenue Service site, www.IRS.gov.
"Taxpayers who provide personal information to these sites may do so under the misimpression that they were dealing with an official government Web site," Mr. Markey said in a letter to the IRS, Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Treasury Department.
"There is a serious potential for consumer confusion, deception and abuse," he said.
Although there was no evidence that the sites were misusing personal information, taxpayers reportedly have provided them with Social Security numbers and tax-related information, such as income and number of dependents, believing they were at the official IRS site.
"We don't know who these Web site operators are," said Vikrum Aiyer, spokesman for Mr. Markey. "Part of the problem is we don't know how much or what information they are collecting."
Mr. Markey has received no replies to his letter, Mr. Aiyer said.
In January, the Computer & Communications Industry Association in Washington, D.C., asked the IRS to consider shutting down the copycat sites or at least requiring them to change their Web addresses and page designs to avoid confusion.
The sites also should contain prominent disclaimers of any affiliation with the IRS, the association said. In the meantime, Mr. Markey's office is urging consumers to look closely for small-print disclaimers to help spot look-alike sites.
Among 1,200 Web-savvy consumers asked to view www.IRS.com, one-third thought it was an official U.S. Treasury site, the trade group said.
"A broader survey of the general public ... would undoubtedly demonstrate an even more serious problem," Mr. Markey said in his letter.
IRS spokesman David Stewart declined comment yesterday on any specific sites.
"We're reminding taxpayers to get official tax information from www.IRS.gov," he said.
First Published March 1, 2007 12:00 am
