An insidious "phishing" expedition has been launched in time for the tax refund season. "Phishing" is the process whereby some larcenous-minded individual tries to trick you into revealing key personal information, such as credit card or social security numbers, over the internet. This one looks like an official notice from the IRS, promising a refund. This is one "refund" you do not want.
Most "phishing" emails are obvious these days. It's hard to imagine anyone still sends bank information to a Nigerian dictator's widow in hopes of getting a 20% share of a hidden $50 million account. It also seems unlikely that many still respond to a bank demand to update your information or your account will be closed, especially since you receive lots of these from banks where you don't even have an account. However, this one comes on a very official looking, yet easy to use form, spelling out how to get your refund. It even tells you exactly how much you will receive. And, in what is the ultimate indicium of authenticity, it is written in English that sounds as if it were written by an American, rather than an Eastern European (click the thumbnail image at the top to see this notice).
So how do you get your refund? Simple. Just give them your name, debit card number, expiration, the CVV code (that three-digit number on the back of your card), and your "electronic pin," the pin number you use at your ATM. The "IRS" will then credit your account with the full amount of your refund. Sure they will.
The one thing that seemed odd about this was that the IRS was demanding you supply a debit card. I don't have a debit card. However, since a debit card provides direct access into your bank account, I imagine this must be more desirable than a credit card for thieves.
Needless to say, you should never respond to such messages. Well... maybe not entirely "needless" to say because we would not continue to receive these messages if no one was fooled by them. However, if you have any doubt about such a notice, remember that the IRS has made it explicitly clear that they do not contact people by email, and certainly do not give out refunds that way. If they have money to send you, it will come in your physical mailbox, not your electronic one. The check is definitely not in the email.
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. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
Heritage Auctions Rare Books Signature Auction December 15, 2025
Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.
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…
![<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.")
