A New "Phishing" Expedition No One Should Believe
- by Michael Stillman
Email supposedly from the IRS invites the "phish" to apply for a tax refund.
By Michael Stillman
We have occasionally written about "phishing" expeditions, those ubiquitous emails we all get trying to con valuable information from us. From the legendary Nigerian scam, where an alleged wealthy former Nigerian official requested our bank account details so he could send us millions of dollars, to today's regular mailings supposedly from our banks, credit card companies, eBay, PayPal, Amazon and more, phishers look for valuable information. They want our bank account details, credit card numbers, passwords and the like. They attempt to sound like the real companies, so we will trust them with this data. Of course, if they were really these companies, they would already have this information, but no bother. If they can fool us into sending it, these frauds will be able to use it to steal from our accounts. Fortunately, most people are wise to their ways, though a few must still be fooled. Otherwise, why would they keep sending the stuff?
Some of these phishing attempts are fairly convincing, others downright laughable. Many I receive, obviously from overseas locations where English is a second language, or a third or fourth or barely a language at all, are a joke. I am certain that if Citibank ever sends me an email, it will be written by someone who speaks English at least as well as an average second grader. That's a tip. They may farm out their telephone answering to India, but they don't have their emails written in Romania, at least not yet. However, this most recent attempt to hook me was ridiculous not for its bad grammar, but for the patent absurdity of what it offered, and what it expected in return.
In this latest scam, the bait was a mere $63.80. Why would they offer so little when the "Nigerians" were offering millions of dollars? Probably they figured that by now I know no one is going to send me millions, but I might believe someone would give me $63.80. But, do you know who was supposedly offering me this money? The IRS! Can you imagine, the IRS offering to give me money, instead of taking it? I think the IRS offering to give me $63.80 is somewhat less likely than some Nigerian stranger offering to give me $10 million. This email obviously emanated from some foreign country where the natives know nothing about the IRS (America's Internal Revenue Service, or tax collectors for those of you who live in other lands).
The language was a bit stilted. The email said that my refund was determined "after the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity." What does that mean, in English? My "fiscal activity?" I engage in about as much "fiscal activity" as I engage in physical activity. Not much. However, while eBay or Amazon would never send such a message, government-speak is frequently legalistic and incomprehensible. Bad English, as long as grammatically correct, therefore does not give away an email allegedly from the government as being fake. The offer of money was far more suspicious than the awkward language.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
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Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.")
