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Fraudsters Bring Fresh Bait to Tax Phishing This Year

Brace yourself: Tax season has begun, and so have fraudsters’ efforts to go phishing for taxpayer information and data. At the end of 2018, the IRS cautioned people to be on high alert following what it called “a surge of new, sophisticated email phishing scams.” This tracks with RSA findings showing phishing attacks increased 12 percent in 2018 and accounted for 46 percent of all fraud attack types. Here’s what you need to know about how phishing scams have evolved and grown, the role these scams play at tax time and the damage they can do.

2019 Tax Season Phishing Scams: From Tried-and-True to Brand-New

By now, you’re probably familiar with the typical tax-season phishing attack that involves a fake email that looks like it’s from the IRS. The email invites you to click through to update your account information or take other action; once you do, the fraudsters who sent it can use the information you provide to steal your identity. That’s been around long enough that a recipient may not be likely to fall for it. This year, though, expect a twist in which fraudsters are sending emails that appear to be from a professional association that wants information to renew your membership or update your credentials. The fraudster is counting on the method being just different enough that people don’t suspect fraud.

In business environments specifically, the IRS is also warning employers to be on guard again this year for W-2 phishing emails. These scam emails (Read more...)

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from RSA Blog authored by RSA Blog. Read the original post at: http://www.rsa.com/en-us/blog/2019-02/fraudsters-bring-fresh-bait-to-tax-phishing-this-year.html