Tax professionals have been warned by the Internal Revenue Service and its partners at the Security Summit to be on the lookout for a new wave of filing-season-related email scams, in which fraudsters assume the identity of potential clients.
The “new customer” fraud usually peaks in January and lasts until April, during tax season. Con artists are posing as legitimate taxpayers in need of assistance with their taxes and utilizing emails to attempt to get private information from, or access to the clientele of tax experts.
Scammers targeting new clients may employ a straightforward tactic by posing as tax professionals in an email that requests assistance with taxes and includes a harmful file or link. Alternately, they may choose to proceed with greater caution and inquire in the first email whether the tax expert is looking for new clients. After the tax expert replies to the first one, the fraudster sends a follow-up email with a harmful link or attachment.
At this point, as the tax expert may believe that they are downloading or visiting a website with the tax details of a potential customer throughout this procedure, cybercriminals can get the preparer’s password, email address, and perhaps other information, or they might infect the tax expert’s machine with malware.
Phishing emails targeting new clients might sometimes look like they are from a reliable source, like a friend or colleague, if that person’s email credentials were compromised.
In the event that a tax professional is the victim of a data breach, prompt action is essential. Victims of scams are therefore advised to contact IRS Stakeholder Liaison, the FBI, or local police.
