Phishing Attempt: EFTPS: Company Tax Payment Batch Has Been Rejected.. ID: 9602203

SUMMARY: Phishing Attempt: EFTPS: Company Tax Payment Batch Has Been Rejected.. ID: 9602203
POSTED ON: 08/13/2012
REPORTER: ITS Help Desk
START TIME: Aug 13 03:38 PM
END TIME: Sep 14 03:38 PM
DESCRIPTION: A phishing attempt has been reported supposedly from the University of Hawaii. Please do NOT reply to the email or click on the link. Do NOT submit your personal information.

The University of Hawaii will NEVER ask for your UH username and password in an email message.

See: http://www.hawaii.edu/askus/898 for reporting a new/suspicious email targeting UH usernames.

From the IRS: Beware of e-Mail Scams about Electronic Federal Tax Payments
Excerpt from http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=229075,00.html

Consumers should be aware of a scam e-mail about an electronic federal tax payment the e-mail claims they tried to make or which specifies the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS). The e-mail states that tax payments made by the e-mail recipient through EFTPS have been rejected.

The e-mail then directs recipients to a bogus link for a transaction report that, when clicked, downloads malicious software (malware) that infects the intended victim’s computer. The malware is designed to send back to the scammer personal and financial information already contained on the taxpayer's computer or obtained through capturing keystrokes. The scammer uses this personal and financial information to commit identity theft.

To avoid malware, do not click on any links, open any attachments or reply to the sender for this or any other unsolicited e-mails you may receive about your tax account which claims to come from the IRS or EFTPS.

Sample message reported to ITS:

From: user1@hawaii.edu, user2@hawaii.edu
To: user1@hawaii.edu, user2@hawaii.edu
Subject: EFTPS: Company Tax Payment Batch Has Been Rejected.. ID: 9602203
Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2012 22:22:02 +0800

Your Federal Tax Payment ID: 8398237 has been rejected.

Return Reason Code R225 - The identification number used in the Company Identification Field is not valid. Please, check the information and refer to Code R966 to get details about your company payment in transaction contacts section:

report_680862.pdf (self-extracting archive, Adobe PDF)

In other way forward information to your accountant adviser.

EFTPS: The Electronic Federal Tax Payment

PLEASE NOTE: Your tax payment is due regardless of EFTPS online availability. In case of an emergency, you can always make your tax payment by calling the EFTPS.