No, not a P. T. Barnum “sucker”, rather an Internet fraudster. Now John (“Kosi”) Koskinen is warning the FATCA financial institutions that the Internet phishers are hot on their trail.

The cyberbanditi pretend to be Kosi’s myrmidons, sending e-mails seeking customer info. Kosi and Co. know not whence these cyberscoundrels originate, but they spread their nets wide, blasting cyberspace with phony e-mails and even using obsolete technology like faxes.

For those still encumbered by a Twentieth Century mindset, the practice is called “phishing”.

So, international financialisti, read and heed.

“Financial institutions or their representatives that suspect they are the subject of a “phishing” scam should report the matter to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 800-366-4484, or through TIGTA’s secure website.  Any suspicious emails that contain attachments or links in the message should not be opened, and the email should be forwarded to phishing@irs.gov.” IR-2014-92, 9/24/14.