Tax Season: Email Scams on the Rise

As tax season approaches, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and other tax and security authorities are warning about the rise of email scams. Scammers are known to target tax-pros with emails claiming to be potential clients or the IRS in order to get sensitive information. Cybercriminals are relying on phishing tactics they’ve used in the past, sending email scams in the hopes of tricking practitioners into opening links or attached documents. If the practitioner opens the links it may download malicious software onto the tax pro’s computer. Another way fraudsters are scamming are by impersonating IRS e-Services; by asking tax pro’s to sign into their accounts and providing a link that will steal their usernames and passwords. The IRS is warning against these types of scams by cautioning against using only email for communication with clients and recommending that e-Services account holders upgrade their accounts to one with a more rigorous authentication process. Practitioners can also forward all phishing emails to phishing@irs.gov. To learn more about how to stay safe throughout tax season, visit here.