ANNAPOLIS -- Comptroller Peter Franchot on Wednesday issued a warning to Marylanders after being advised by the Internal Revenue Service of a new phishing scheme.

He said the latest scam involves an "official looking e-mail message" which appears to come from the IRS and alerts people about a refund owed to them.

The email is disguised with subject headers designed to intrigue the reader to open the email and/or attachments. It instructs recipients to respond, click on a link, or open an attachment in order to get their 2008 Economic Stimulus Refund.

"Marylanders should keep in mind that my office and the IRS never send unsolicited e-mails about your taxes," he said.

Anyone who receives suspicious e-mails addressed from the IRS can help stop potential scams by forwarding the email to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.