Several South Carolinians said they have received phone calls
offering to automatically deposit the tax refunds promised in President Bush's economic-stimulus plan.
One problem: The tax refunds aren't real yet. Congress is still debating
the plan. The first complaints came Friday - the day after Bush nveiled his proposal.
Scammers are trying to get bank-account information from unsuspecting taxpayers who have heard about Bush's plan for one-time rebates ranging from $600 to $1,200, state officials said.
The S.C. Department of Consumer Affairs said it has received more than 20 calls statewide about crooks trying to swipe financial information.
The calls are fairly similar: A person claims to be from the IRS or the
tax department of the Social Security Administration wanting to verify the consumer's bank information to automatically deposit the "Bush tax refund."
So far, one Midlands woman has told Consumer Affairs that she shared her account numbers with a scammer, spokeswoman Alice Brooks said.
The woman quickly realized she had been duped and dialed the number left on her caller ID from the supposed tax official.
Unfortunately, Brooks said, the number belonged to a Dallas health club.
