BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

The United States yesterday warned nationals in the Eastern Caribbean to be wary of a scam seeking information about them and purporting to come from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The U.S. Embassy for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean said this latest scam takes the form of similar ones investigated by the IRS.

"In it, persons receive a bogus IRS letter or fax, along with a W-8BEN form (Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding) requesting non-residents to provide personal information.

"The letters and faxes usually ask the recipient to provide account numbers personal identification numbers, mother's maiden name and passport numbers," the embassy said.

how it works

The legitimate IRS Form-W-8BEN, which is used by financial institutions to establish appropriate tax withholding for foreign in-dividuals, does not ask for any of this information.

In a similar scam, persons received 'notification', purportedly from the IRS, claiming they were entitled to a refund, and all that was needed was for the recipient to give their credit card number and the money would be credited to their account.

But the embassy said that it is not the practice of the IRS to request this type of information via email or fax, adding "the IRS warns that care should always be taken when disclosing personal information.