Cybersecurity Awareness

Recognizing Tax Scams and Fraud Tactics

Tax season presents a prime opportunity for cybercriminals looking to take advantage of unsuspecting taxpayers. Understanding how criminals impersonate the IRS and some of the tactics they use can help reduce your exposure to fraud and identity theft, especially during tax season.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

• The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email, texts, social media, or phone calls to request personal or financial information. This includes social security numbers, passwords, PINs for credit and debit cards, bank accounts, or other financial assets.
• Cybercriminals may contact individuals posing as the IRS or other global tax and revenue agencies with messages regarding tax-related topics. These messages could include malicious links inviting individuals to view their W2 or supposedly indicating where to file their taxes.
• Cybercriminals frequently tailor their scams around current events to increase the likelihood of user interaction, such as COVID-19 or disaster relief. They may also create a sense of urgency or even threaten legal action to pressure you into complying with their schemes.
• Taxpayers may be led to believe they must download tax-related forms through Word, Excel, zipped-file attachments, or via password or CAPTCHA-protected websites.
• Emails sent by cybercriminals often contain URLs or HTML files that hyperlink to fraudulent web pages used to collect login credentials and personal information related to tax filing.
• These emails can also include attachments (e.g. zipped JavaScript files) designed to install malware on your device when you open them. These infected files allow cybercriminals to potentially access—and even attempt to control—your device and its data.
• Never open a message or click on links and attachments that appear suspicious. When in doubt, visit irs.gov/identity-theft-central☍ or contact your tax advisor to confirm the legitimacy.