Consumer Advisory: Beware of website selling fake tax certificates
May result in stolen credit card information
by Wyoming Department of Revenue media release
March 5, 2010
Cheyenne – A new scam tries to get consumer credit card information by selling an illegal, and nonexistent, certificate, the Wyoming Department of Revenue is warning.
Dan Noble, administrator of the Excise Tax Division of the Department, says the website offers to sell fake "Sales Tax Resale Certificate Numbers" for all 50 states and fraudulent federal tax identification numbers (TINs) for $37 each.
"We say this time and time again, but if something sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is," Noble cautions. "You can’t buy a certificate for $37 – or for any price – to avoid paying sales tax."
Noble fears the website is after much more than $37 for a worthless certificate. "Once you give them your credit card number, there’s no telling what they might do with it."
The Division has notified law enforcement about this particular website but there may be others like it. "The Department of Revenue is the only agency that can assign a license number to do business in Wyoming," Noble says.
If you have purchased such a certificate, you should contact your bank or credit card issuer immediately. Questions about legitimate Wyoming license numbers can be directed to the Wyoming Department of Revenue at 307-777-7961.
|
