By Angel Riggs
OKLAHOMA CITY (MCT) — Bogus Web sites designed to trick people into providing account information have become an epidemic, a fraud expert warned Monday.
Both the Internal Revenue Service and a contractor for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services recently have been targeted by scammers using look-alike Web sites to gain the trust of unsuspecting Oklahomans.
Sarah Graham of Tulsa said scammers accessed her child-support funds after she received an e-mail Friday that seemed legitimate.
The e-mail claimed to be from EPPICard, a program administered by a DHS contractor that processes child support and state benefits electronically, much like a debit card system.
“I really did not think it was a scam because of it being through DHS and child support,” she said. “It completely blew me away.”
The e-mail claimed that there had been a security problem with her account.
A link took her to the EPPICard Web site, which asked for her account information to verify her identity.
“It looked so real,” Graham said.
She didn’t realize that the e-mail and Web site were both scams
until two days later, when her child-support account showed insufficient funds. Someone had taken $142 from the account.
“They didn’t steal from me,” Graham said. “They stole from my kids.”
DHS spokesman Dustin Pyeatt said 19 Oklahomans have been scammed. However, he added, the scam’s reach is nationwide, with more than 100 people being scammed in Georgia.
Cardholders will be re- imbursed by Affiliated Computer Services, the company that administers the program for the agency, Pyeatt said. He added that DHS will never ask clients for their account information.
Meanwhile, the IRS also has been battling a look-alike Web site scam. An official-looking e-mail, claiming to be from the IRS, directs people to a fake IRS Web site.
The site asks people for credit card and other account information under the guise that they’re registering to have their economic stimulus checks deposited directly into their accounts.
“They’re not interested in putting money into your account,” IRS spokesman David Stell said. “They’re interested in taking money out of your account.”
The IRS will never ask for personal information, such as account access numbers or credit-card verification numbers, he said.
“Nor do we notify people of refunds, rebates, stimulus payments or any other federal payments by e-mail or telephone,” Stell said.
Elaine Dodd, vice president of the Oklahoma Bankers Association’s Fraud Division, said the look-alike Web sites are a major source of identity theft.
Scammers often send e-mails with links to fake bank Web sites, she said. They use the banks’ logos and target banks of all sizes, Dodd said.
“If in doubt, delete it and call,” she said.
Sometimes a link to a scam site can be spotted by scrolling the mouse over the link to see where it’s redirecting you, Dodd said. She also recommended checking out suspicious e-mails on www.snopes.com, which often lists scams.
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