Phishing Sites Pop Up For IRS!

IRS Criminal Investigation has seen a tremendous increase in phishing schemes utilizing emails, letters, texts and links. These phishing schemes are using keywords such as "coronavirus," "COVID-19" and "Stimulus" in various ways.

Phishing sites pop up for IRS!

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Fraudulent schemes normally start with unsolicited contact by telephone, text, social media, e-mail or in-person using a variety of tactics. Bogus websites use names similar to legitimate charities to trick people to send money or provide personal financial information. They may even claim to be working for or on behalf of the IRS to help victims file casualty loss claims and get tax refunds.

Phone scams or "vishing" (voice phishing) pose a major threat. Scam phone calls, including those threatening arrest, deportation or license revocation if the victim doesn't pay a bogus tax bill, are reported year-round. These calls often take the form of a "robocall" (a text-to-speech recorded message with instructions for returning the call).

Older Americans are becoming more comfortable with evolving technologies, such as social media. Unfortunately, that gives scammers another means of taking advantage. Phishing scams linked to Covid-19 have been a major threat this filing season. Seniors need to be alert for a continuing surge of fake emails, text messages, websites and social media attempts to steal personal information.

Tax professionals, employers and taxpayers need to be on guard against phishing designed to steal Form W-2s and other tax information. These are Business Email Compromise (BEC) or Business Email Spoofing (BES). This is particularly true with many businesses closed and their employees working from home due to COVID-19. Currently, two of the most common types of these scams are the gift card scam and the direct deposit scam.

The Direct Deposit and other BEC/BES variations should be forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) where a complaint can be filed. The IRS requests that Form W-2 scams be reported to: phishing@irs.gov (Subject: W-2 Scam).

Cybercriminals might use a phishing email to trick a potential victim into opening a link or attachment containing the ransomware. These may include email solicitations to support a fake COVID-19 charity. Cybercriminals also look for system vulnerabilities where human error is not needed to deliver their malware.

Millions of Americans use dating sites, social networking sites, and chat rooms to meet people. And many forge successful relationships. But scammers also use these sites to meet potential victims. They create fake profiles to build online relationships, and eventually convince people to send money in the name of love. Some even make wedding plans before disappearing with the money. An online love interest who asks for money is almost certainly a scam artist. Romance Scams operating from abroad often use U.S.-based money mules to receive victim payments and transmit proceeds to perpetrators. Sometimes, perpetrators of Romance Scams convince victims to serve as money mules, receiving illegal proceeds of crime and forwarding those proceeds to perpetrators. For example, Romance Scam victims often are induced to receive payments and/or goods such as technology equipment procured through fraud and to forward those payments and goods directly or indirectly to perpetrators.

The latest phishing email uses the IRS logo and a variety of subject lines such as "Action Required: Your account has now been put on hold." The IRS has observed similar bogus emails that claim to be from a "tax preparation application provider." One such variation offers an "unusual activity report" and a solution link for the recipient to restore their account.

Tax professionals who get a scam email should save the email as a file and then send it as an attachment to phishing@irs.gov. They should also notify the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at www.tigta.gov to report the IRS impersonation scam. Both TIGTA and the IRS Criminal Investigation division are aware of this scam.

Thieves also seek to impersonate tax software providers, cloud storage providers banks and others. Remember, phishing emails generally have an urgent message, i.e. your account password expired, and direct you to a link or attachment.

Scammers use online dating sites, social networks, and chat rooms to meet potential victims. These scammers use very convincing (but fake) dating profiles to build online relationships. Eventually, they ask for help with their finances. They may request you send money for a hardship or even for you to open an account or deposit checks on their behalf.

Scammers create fake posts on social media or job sites offering work-from-home jobs that pay well. The job might be to advertise a company's logo on your car, work as a personal assistant or become a secret shopper.

Threats to your computer and mobile device can come in various forms. Cyber criminals use spoof emails, texts, websites, and pop-up ads with malicious links or attachments to convince you to unknowingly download malware to your computer or mobile device.

Consumers and Tax Professionals Targeted in IRS E-mail Schemes: The IRS has seen an approximate 400% surge in phishing and malware incidents so far this tax season. The emails are designed to trick taxpayers into responding to official communications that lead to websites designed to imitate official looking websites. The sites ask for social security numbers and other personal information. The sites also carry malware which infect computers and allow criminals to access files or track keystrokes to gain information. "While more attention has focused on the continuing IRS phone scams, we are deeply worried this increase in email schemes threatens more taxpayers," Koskinen said. Tax professionals also are reporting phishing schemes to obtain their online credentials. If a taxpayer receives an unsolicited email that appears to be from either the IRS e-services portal or an organization closely linked to the IRS, report it by sending it to phishing@irs.gov. IR-2016-28.

"Tax professionals generally relax a little after filing season and many take a well-deserved vacation but don't let your IT defenses down," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "Spear phishing remains one of the biggest threats to the tax industry and other client-based enterprises."

Spear phishing is an email scam that attempts to steal a tax professional's software preparation credentials. These thieves try to steal client data and tax preparers' identities in an attempt to file fraudulent tax returns for refunds. Spear phishing can be tailored to attack any type of business or organization, so everyone needs to be on the lookout and not rush to act when a strange email comes in.

In this case, if recipients enter their credentials into the pop-up window, thieves can use this information to file fraudulent returns by using credentials that were provided by the tax professional. For more information, see Latest spear phishing scams target tax professionals.

The easiest way for criminals to steal sensitive data is simply to ask for it. Learn to recognize phishing emails, calls or texts that pose as familiar organizations such as banks, credit card companies or even the IRS. These ruses generally urge taxpayers to give up sensitive data such as passwords, Social Security numbers and bank account or credit card numbers. They are called phishing scams because they attempt to lure the receiver into taking the bait.

Tax professionals should seek out cybersecurity experts whenever possible. Practitioners can also search for "Best VPNs" to find a legitimate vendor, or major technology sites often provide lists of top services. Remember, never click on a "pop-up" ad that's marketing a security product. Those generally are scams.

Tax professionals who received the scam should save the email as a file and then send it as an attachment to phishing@irs.gov. They also should notify the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to report the IRS impersonation scam. Both TIGTA and the IRS Criminal Investigation division are aware of the scam.

Like all phishing email scams, it attempts to bait the receiver to take action (opening a link or attachment) with a consequence for failing to do so (disabling the account). The links or attachment may be set up to steal information or to download malware onto the tax professional's computer.

Some phishing scams are ransomware schemes in which the thief gains control of the tax professionals' computer systems and holds the data hostage until a ransom is paid. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned against paying a ransom because thieves often leave the data encrypted.

To report tax-related illegal activities relating to ERC claims, submit Form 3949-A, Information ReferralPDF. You should also report instances of fraud and IRS-related phishing attempts to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.

What is Phishing?Phishing is an attempt, using fraudulent e-mail or website pop-ups, to get you to divulge sensitive financial information such as credit card numbers, account numbers, user names, passwords, or social security numbers. Phishing differs from virus or worm attacks in that e-mail or pop-up itself is innocuous, and cannot grab your personal information from your system without your knowing it. Instead, phishing relies on old-fashioned con artist tricks to get you to give up the information voluntarily. This information is used to steal your identity and run up bills in your name.How does Phishing work?Generally the e-mail or pop-up will be cleverly crafted to look like it came from a financial institution, regulatory agency or other online company, such as PayPal or eBay that you trust. It will ask you to verify account information within the body of the email or direct you to a website that fakes the look of the company's website. Often times these fakes are very good. Any information you enter will be sent to the perpetrators of the fraud.How do I protect myself?The best protection against phishing scams is to be cautious in how you share sensitive financial or personal information. Be skeptical of any e-mail or pop-up that asks for personal information. Anti-SPAM filtes block many phishing e-mails, and pop-up blockers can limit the number of pop-ups you get, but no technology can prevent you from falling for the con. Legitimate businesses are very aware of phishing, and do not send e-mails requesting sensitive information. Do not reply to the e-mail, or follow any of the links. If you think the request might be genuine, confirm it either by calling the company directly at a number you know, or go directly to the company's website by typing a known address in the browser window. When evaluating an e-mail message requesting personal information, try to imagine it as an unsolicited telephone call. If you wouldn't give that information over the telephone to an unknown caller, don't give it out in response to an unsolicited e-mail.What should I do if I've given out information to Phishers?What you do will depend on what type of information you have given out. For more information, including how you can report this crime, go to How can I learn more? 2ff7e9595c