Nothing new about identity theft these days, unless it happens to you or someone you know. What surprised me a lot was that if you have H&R Block do your taxes and you have a refund coming, they will issue a debit card to you. American enterprise, always thinking of ways to hang onto our money and dole it out to us a little at a time.

But also, look at how easy it is to get scammed here - all the victim did was call a phone number, wasn't asked for a PIN or social security number. The key was giving out the card number, as bad as giving out your bank account number. Very scary. Be careful.

From Denver's Channel 7 news:

"Have An H&R Block Debit Card? Don't Fall For Scam

Phishing Scam Targets Card Holders

Written by Don Champion, 7News Reporter

DENVER -- A scam hitting from Pennsylvania to Colorado is making tax season even more of a nightmare for some people.
“It’s really sad to think people could do that to someone,” said Rheanna Velasquez. Velasquez is one of at least two people who have had thousands of dollars in their tax refund disappear. She got her taxes done at H&R Block and requested her refund be put on the company’s Emerald Card, a pre-paid debit card.

Everything was fine until a few days after Velasquez got her card in the mail. After making a few purchases, more than $2,900 suddenly disappeared from her account.

7NEWS discovered a mysterious text message warning of trouble with the account is to blame for the theft. Velasquez got the text a few days after getting her card. It appeared to have been from H&R Block. The message prompted her to call a number.

“I thought it was from them so I called the number,” Velasquez said. “[The recording] asked for my first and last name and card number, then hung up on me.”

Such scams commonly are known as "phishing" -- an alternative spelling of "fishing" -- as in "fishing for personal information." The goal of such scams is to trick people into sharing enough personal information that identity thieves can steal their identities or access their financial accounts.

Targets even include people who do not have Emerald Cards.
7NEWS asked if an insider could be to blame for customer information being released.

An H&R Block representative said that’s not the case, issuing the following statement:
"We believe the text was sent by someone with a random list of cell phone numbers, and we have no reason to believe H&R Block's systems have been compromised. We’re advising recipients not to respond to the text, not to call the number provided and not to offer any personal information whatsoever. H&R Block does not send text or other messages asking clients to provide, update or confirm sensitive data."

Velasquez is now urging people to avoid falling victim like she did. Fortunately, she’s in the process of getting her money refunded.
“I am going to be a little more careful,” she said.
7NEWS tracked the number to Tampa, Fla."