Source: NY Times.
A Web site that promised to connect people with much-needed jobs during the recession was actually a means to steal the applicants’ personal information in a scheme to file fraudulent tax returns, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
The site, http://www.jobcentral2.net, listed nonexistent jobs and used applicants’ identities to file the bogus federal tax returns and collect tax refunds, said Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the Manhattan district attorney.
Petr Murmylyuk, 31, a Russian citizen living Brooklyn, preyed upon unemployed people because they were unlikely to have income and unlikely to file a tax return, reducing the chances that the fraudulent returns would draw attention, Mr. Vance said.
“His scheme hurt jobless individuals and society as a whole,” Mr. Vance said.
The ease with which a bogus company can look legitimate on the Internet has created a perfect scenario for fraudulently “phishing” for Social Security numbers and other personal information under various pretenses.
Filing fake tax returns, in particular, is a growing problem. In January, the Internal Revenue Service and the Justice Department announced that a law enforcement sweep through 23 states had revealed the potential theft of thousands of identities and taxpayer refunds.
Categories: Internet, Science and Technology, Technology