Tax season is upon us. While you are scrabbling around trying to add in those last-minute deductions and maximizing your return, don’t forget to keep your information safe. Tax season is also a prime season for those who like to prey on the public’s vulnerability. Every year, thousands fall victim to a malicious e-mail scam that targets people’s private information in regards to their taxes. How The Scammers Get Their Foot In The Door  Most people know not to open e-mails they receive from sources that look fishy to them. However, the scammers can get around this by posing as though they are a legitimate company or organization. During tax season, they often pose as if they are the IRS sending important refund information. In fact, the actual IRS is aware of this and puts out this warning on their official government website,

“A new email scam targeting taxpayers has emerged. According to the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP), taxpayers are receiving emails that appear to be from TAP about a tax refund. These emails are a phishing scam, where unsolicited emails which seem to come from legitimate organizations — but are really from scammers — try to trick unsuspecting victims into providing personal and financial information.”

The lesson to learn here is to never open an e-mail that you did not specifically request to receive. Certainly do not provide any personal information via e-mail to any source no matter how legitimate they appear. New Schemes Target Payroll And HR Workers  Scammers stop at nothing to steal the information they seek. Instead of directly targeting victims, some scammers go after those who possess the information they want in the first place. This means people in payroll and HR services require extra layers of caution during this time of year. Scam artists send e-mails to these departments with the name of the CEO or other leading official of the company on it. They pose as this top official and request personal employee information. Of course, the e-mail is not really from the actual CEO, and the information is not requested for legitimate purposes. Top officers in a company would not request information via e-mail like this, and employees information must never be shared in this manner. Contact us for all of the latest news and developments in the e-mail scam world. It is a scary place, but your best defense is a good offense against these criminals.