Annoying Scams to Avoid
You ready to tell all your secrets to the guy calling you about jury duty? Don't. Someone's trying to swindle you.
These things come in cycles, and the "jury duty" scam's coming around again.
My buddy Phil told me about it and said, "I just went to Snopes to see if it's a myth. Not new, but real! Started being reported (and warned about) recently... Social engineering works! (Here's a time to Just Say No!)"
The I.R.S. Wants to Talk
Not really. They just want your money. But phishers are using the I.R.S. and Department of Treasury as bait. My buddy Tom received this e-mail, which looks like it was sent from a spoofed I.R.S. site. Don't fall for this one, either. (Thanks, Tom.) For more info, read IRS, Security Company Warn of Tax Phishers and another PC World article about a related scam: "Phishing E-Mail Targets Taxpayers."
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I hate the IRS. And I hate those phishing scumbags even more.
Grammatical mistakes are a tip-off to the phoney IRS message. The IRS would have correctly stated: "A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons, for example, submitting invalid records or applying after the deadline."
Those of us who acquired basic grammar skills in grade school have a strong advantage in protecting ourselves from schemes devised by ignorant crooks. Those of us who didn't, don't.
Is poor punctuation the same as poor grammar?
Yes, poor punctuation is definitely the same as poor grammar, because it affects both the syntax and the semantics of what a person is trying to communicate.
An dats wy are techers an boooks tri teching dem bot et de sam time. eEvn in de sam clas.
Steve -
You were ahead of the curve on this one. I heard ABC Radio reporting on the "jury duty" scam all day today. Another scoop for you (and for Phil).