With tax season now upon us, so is the increase in tax phishing scams. In fact, this week, the IRS released a warning to tax professionals about scammers attempting to steal Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFINs).
John Wilson, senior fellow of Threat Research at cybersecurity software and services provider Fortra believes that, in addition to phishing, individuals need to keep an eye out for vishing scams which have become increasingly popular during this time.
According to John, “An IRS related vishing scam is where a caller, supposedly from the IRS, says there’s been some sort of legal action involving your social security number, and they’ll send agents to your home unless you provide money to correct it.”
Tips to protect yourself from vishing scams:
- Never send money based on an unexpected call. Be particularly suspicious of any party asking for payment in cryptocurrency, gift cards, Zelle or a Western Union money transfer.
- Verify through another channel. For any inbound request for information, hang up, find the organization’s phone number on your own and call back to see if someone is legitimately trying to contact you.
- Tap into your intuition. The FBI and Microsoft aren’t going to phone about a virus on your computer.
- Implement spam blocking. Telecom providers and consumer apps can help block or flag numbers likely to generate spam calls. There’s also the government’s Do Not Call Registry, which can help you avoid telemarketers, though scammers aren’t likely to play by the rules. But registering could keep you off some phone lists used by fraudsters.
- File a complaint. Contact the Federal Communications Commission if you receive calls that seem fraudulent, and alert the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center if you incur a financial loss related to vishing.
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This entry was posted on February 10, 2024 at 8:59 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Fortra. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Don’t Fall Victim: Tips to Safeguard Against Tax Vishing Scams
With tax season now upon us, so is the increase in tax phishing scams. In fact, this week, the IRS released a warning to tax professionals about scammers attempting to steal Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFINs).
John Wilson, senior fellow of Threat Research at cybersecurity software and services provider Fortra believes that, in addition to phishing, individuals need to keep an eye out for vishing scams which have become increasingly popular during this time.
According to John, “An IRS related vishing scam is where a caller, supposedly from the IRS, says there’s been some sort of legal action involving your social security number, and they’ll send agents to your home unless you provide money to correct it.”
Tips to protect yourself from vishing scams:
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This entry was posted on February 10, 2024 at 8:59 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Fortra. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.