Early 2013 Tax Return Report – Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Virus Email

The email message below: "Early 2013 Tax Return Report!" has a virus or Trojan horse attached to it that will infect your Windows computer if you open it. The message was designed to trick the recipients into opening the malicious attachment, disguised as a Tax Return Report, by asking the recipients to view it in order to start filing for their 2013 tax returns.

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Early 2013 Tax Return Report – Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Virus Email

The Malicious Email - Early 2013 Tax Return Report

Subject: ATTN: Early 2013 Tax Return Report!

Dear Member

Here is a report on your early 2013 Federal Tax return report. Kindly download the attachment to view your report and start filling for 2013 return as early as second week of December.

Thanks

Internal Revenue Service
915 Second Avenue, MS W180
Seattle, WA 98174-0041
http://www.irs.gov/

Attachment: Early2013TaxReturnReport_2D2F9D2EF1.zip
------

This email message was not sent by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the attachment (Early2013TaxReturnReport _2D2F9D2EF1.zip ) is not a Tax Return Report, but a Zip or compressed files, which contain the Windows malicious executable file:
Early2013TaxReturnReport_ 9834569485749805723984563249 65984573984509324.pdf.exe

When we scanned the file, the following threats were detected:

  • Zbot.EVJ
  • W32/Trojan.KHPU-6775
  • Trojan.DownLoader9.22851
  • Win32/PSW.Fareit.A
  • W32/Trojan3.HBO
  • Trojan-PSW.Win32.Fareit.amzs
  • Trojan.FakeBankDoc
  • Troj/Agent-AFMX
  • TROJ_GEN.F47V0109
  • Dropper.Agent.102400.R

Once your computer has become infected with this malicious Trojan horse, the cybercriminals behind this email message will be able to access and take control of your computer remotely from anywhere around the world. They may spy on you, use your computer to commit cybercrimes, or steal your personal and financial information.

Now, if you have already opened the malicious attachment, please do a full scan of your computer with the antivirus software installed on it. The name of the attachment may change, so be careful when opening email attachments. 

If you don’t have antivirus software installed on your computer, please click here for a list of free antivirus software.

Never open an attachment that has a name ending with “.exe”, because these are computer programs that can infect your computer with a virus or some other malware.

Click here for a list of email attachments you should never open, regardless of where they came from.

Check the comment section below for additional information, share what you know, or ask a question about this article by leaving a comment below. And, to quickly find answers to your questions, use our search Search engine.

Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.

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Comments, Questions, Answers, or Reviews

Comments (Total: 2)

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January 10, 2014 at 10:41 PM by
Early 2013 Tax Return Report – Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Virus Email
an anonymous user from: Canandaigua, New York, United States

Received this in our email today (1/10/14). Our Mac's anti-virus immediately flagged it though it likely would have no effect on our Mac (you can never be sure nowadays). As always, notes like these have indicators in the form of poor grammar, typos, and a strange voice. Some of the ones noticed in this are:<br/>- When has the IRS ever emailed you, or at least with an email that's so generic and supposedly contains an attachment with highly sensitive personal information that's also in the form of a zip file vs. just a PDF?<br/>- "Dear Member"? Member of what and if you're emailing me my tax return, I'd think you'd know my name.<br/>- The "Here's a report of your report" structure of the first sentence is awkward and errantly redundant.<br/>- I would never expect a government department communication to start a sentence with the word "Kindly." "Please" possibly but more likely it would just start with the direction ("Download the…").<br/>- The typo of "filling" instead of "filing" in the second sentence.<br/>- Referring to a timeline that's already long past ("as early as the second week of December" when we're already well into January).<br/><br/>Lots to clue in that this is not legit if you take a few minutes to review after the initial panic over the IRS emailing you wears off. ;-)

Delete

January 9, 2014 at 5:14 PM by
Early 2013 Tax Return Report – Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Virus Email
an anonymous user from: Carmel, Indiana, United States

I have this issue on my computer and cannot delete the files. I use Microsoft Security Essentials and I am running Windows 7 Ultimate.

Delete

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Online Threat Alerts Security Tips

Pay the safest way

Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.

Guard your personal information

In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.

Be careful of the information you share

Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with

Know who you’re dealing with

Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.

Check your accounts

Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.

Don’t believe promises of easy money

If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.

Do not open email from people you don’t know

If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.

Think before you click

If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.

Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond

If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.

Be careful with links and new website addresses

Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.

Secure your personal information

Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.

Stay informed on the latest cyber threats

Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.

Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are critical to online security.

Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs

Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.

Update the operating systems on your electronic devices

Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.

What if You Got Scammed?

Stop Contact With The Scammer

Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.

Secure Your Finances

  • Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
  • Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:

Check Your Computer

If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.

Change Your Account Passwords

Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.

Report The Scam

Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.

Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:

  • Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
  • Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
  • Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.

How To Recognize a Phishing Scam

Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.

Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:

Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might

  • say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
  • claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
  • say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
  • include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
  • want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
  • say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
  • offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real

About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)

Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.

By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.

With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.

Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.

Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).

Early 2013 Tax Return Report – Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Virus Email