Marin CyberSafe News: New Year, New You, Same Tax Scams

In This Issue:

• Warning Signs of Online Tax Scams
• How to Avoid Being the Victim
• Additional Resources

From the desk of Jason Balderama, CISO, County of Marin

Tax season is in full swing, which means criminals will go to great lengths to separate you from your money, your identity, or anything of value that is within their reach. They may offer seemingly legitimate "tax services" that are designed to steal your identity and your tax refund. Often, criminals will lure you in with an offer of larger write-offs or refunds. Such scams might include fake websites and tax forms that look like they belong to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in order to trick you into providing your personal information.

Due to the rise in data breaches, you should always take steps to minimize your risk of identity theft and other online-related crimes.  This is especially important this time of the year. Below are some warning signs to look for and basic precautions you can take to minimize risk and avoid becoming the next victim.

Warning Signs of Online Tax Scams

• An email or link requesting personal and/or financial information, such as your name, social security number, bank or credit card account numbers, or any additional security-related information.
• Emails threatening you with consequences if no response is received, such as additional taxes or blocking access to your funds.
• Emails from the IRS or federal agencies. The IRS will not contact you via email.
• Emails containing exciting offers, tax refunds, incorrect spelling, grammar, or odd phrasing throughout.
• Emails discussing "changes to tax laws." These email scams typically include a downloadable document (usually in PDF format) that purports to explain the new tax laws. However, these downloads are almost always populated with malware that, once downloaded, will infect your computer.

How To Avoid Being The Victim

• Never Send Sensitive Information in an Email: Information sent through email can be intercepted by criminals. Make sure to consistently check your financial account statements and your credit report for any signs of unauthorized activity.
• Secure Your Computer: Ensure your computer has the latest security updates installed. Check that your anti-virus software is running properly and receiving automatic updates from the vendor. If you haven't already done so, install and enable a firewall.
• Carefully Select the Sites You Visit: Safely searching for tax forms, advice on deductibles, tax preparers, and other similar topics requires great caution. NEVER visit a site by clicking on a link sent in an email, found on someone's blog, or in an advertisement. The websites you land on might look like legitimate sites, but can also be very well-crafted fakes.
• Be Wise with Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi hotspots are intended to provide convenient access to the Internet, but this convenience can come at a cost. Public Wi-Fi may not be secure and is susceptible to eavesdropping by hackers. Never use public Wi-Fi to file your taxes.
• Look for Clear Signs: Common scams will tout tax rebates, offer great deals on tax preparation, or offer a free tax calculator tool. If you did not solicit the information, it's likely a scam.
• Be on the Watch for Fake IRS Scams: The IRS will not contact you via email, text messaging, or your social network, nor does it advertise on websites. Additionally, if an email appears to be from your employer or bank claiming there is an issue that requires you to verify personal information, this is most likely a scam as well. Don’t respond to these types of emails; always contact the entity directly.
• Secure Your Accounts: Use strong and unique passwords on all your accounts and enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) as an added layer of protection. If you have several passwords to keep track of, consider using a password manager to help keep your accounts secure. If you use the same password for multiple sites and your password is stolen, a scammer can potentially gain access to all of the accounts where that password was used.

• Report Phishing: If you receive a tax-related phishing or suspicious email at work, report it according to your organization's policies and procedures. If you receive a similar email on your personal account, the IRS encourages you to forward the original suspicious email (with headers or as an attachment) to phishing@irs.gov.

   

  Additional Resources

• IRS Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft
• IRS Report Phishing and Online Scams
• IRS Dirty Dozen

Disclaimer

The information provided in Marin CyberSafe News is intended to increase people’s awareness of cybersecurity and to help them behave in a more secure manner. Links in this newsletter are provided because they have information that may be useful. The County of Marin does not warrant the accuracy of any information contained in the links and neither endorses nor intends to promote the advertising of the resources listed herein. The opinions and statements contained in such resources are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of County of Marin.

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