College Student Loses $10,000 in IRS Impersonation and Gift Card Scam
Summary
A scammer impersonating the IRS used an urgent email and follow-up phone call to persuade a college student to buy $10,000 in Apple gift cards. An Uber driver intervened, but the funds had already been spent.
Key points
- The scam began with an email threatening legal action and arrest, directing the student to a web form and promising a call from an IRS agent.
- On the call, the scammer requested personal information and falsely claimed Apple gift cards could be used to pay the student’s tax debt.
- The student bought five $2,000 gift cards and began reading their numbers to the caller while traveling to a statehouse.
- The Uber driver recognized something was wrong, warned the student, and ended the scammer’s call; the driver then returned the student to campus.
- University police contacted Apple, but the gift card funds had already been spent. The article says the case was closed after referral to student affairs.
- The author attributes the scam’s effectiveness to urgency and easy initial steps that drew the student into continuing the process.
Article Details
- Victim Organization
- Unknown
- Incident Type
- IRS-impersonation phishing and vishing scam that induced a student to purchase Apple gift cards and disclose their redemption codes
- Data Types Exposed
- Current location
- Current address
- Affected Records
- One student
- Affected Data Size
- Five $2,000 Apple gift cards; $10,000 total
- Operational Impact
- The student lost $10,000. Apple reported that the gift-card funds had already been spent.
- Ransom Or Extortion
- None reported. The scammer falsely claimed the student owed the IRS and demanded payment by money order or Apple gift cards.
- Claim Status
- confirmed
MITRE ATT&CK
T1204 · User ExecutionThe student clicked the email link and followed the webform instructions.T1566 · PhishingThe scam began with a phishing email containing a link to a webform.T1598 · Phishing for InformationThe scammer used the webform to solicit personal information, including the student's current location and address.T1598.004 · Spearphishing VoiceThe scammer used a phone call while impersonating an IRS agent to obtain information and direct the victim's actions.