As the tax-filing season approaches, the identity thieves are gearing up with tax scams to sucker you into providing them with your identity information, which they can then use to charge against your credit cards, tap your bank account, steal your tax refund, file a fraudulent tax return in your name . . . the list goes on and on.

These thieves are clever, and some even disguise e-mails to look as if they come from a government agency; the IRS banner has been used in many scams to steal taxpayer identities.   For example,  you may receive an e-mail with the IRS banner indicating you have a refund coming and directing you to a web site where you are duped into revealing your identity to obtain the refund.

Don’t be a victim! Always be suspicious of such e-mails and keep in mind the IRS never initiates contact via e-mail.  Another tip is look at where the e-mail originated.  If it is not from IRS.gov, then it is a trick.  If you are not sure, please call this office for advice.

If you suspect your identity has been compromised, please call this office for assistance. The IRS also provides guidance at www.irs.gov/uac/identity-protection.

Last month, we cautioned you about Internet scams aimed at tricking you into divulging information that will compromise your identity. That article described how Internet crooks disguise themselves as the IRS in an attempt to steal your identity.

The IRS is not the only disguise these scammers use. They pretend to be attorneys representing estates, lottery payouts, and other such subterfuge to draw you into their web.

Here are some good rules to follow:
1. If it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t true.
2. If you receive a request for financial information via the Internet, it is probably a scam.
3. Never give your financial information over the Internet except when you are absolutely sure with whom you are dealing.

Take this example of how clever scammers can be. The latest scam is an e-mail requesting individuals to update their Intuit accounts. The e-mails claiming to be from Intuit ask recipients go to what is supposed to be an Intuit web site and update their tax return information. The e-mail includes an Intuit logo in the header. The scammer selected Intuit as the bait because so many individuals and small businesses use their Quicken and Quickbooks products.

So do not be fooled by this scam or any others that do not make sense. Do not be hasty; stop and carefully consider what you are doing before you click on a link to a potentially dangerous web site. These people are clever and can disguise their scams well.

If you ever have questions related to suspect e-mails, please call this office before responding to them.

Now that tax season is upon us, so are the e-mail scammers pretending to be the IRS. Most of these scams fraudulently use the IRS name, logo, and/or website header as a lure to make the communication appear more authentic and enticing. They lead you to believe you had a refund of some sort coming and request personal information. The goal of these scams¾known as phishing – is to trick you into revealing your personal and financial information. The scammers can then use your information – like your Social Security number, bank account, or credit card numbers – to commit identity theft or steal your money.

DON’T BE A VICTIM – THE IRS DOES NOT INITIATE E-MAIL CORRESPONDENCE

The Internal Revenue Service receives thousands of reports each year from taxpayers who receive suspicious e-mails, phone calls, faxes, or notices claiming to be from the IRS. If you find something suspicious, you should immediately call this office before responding. In fact, it is a good policy to check with this office before responding to any inquiry from the IRS or state or local tax agencies.

Here are some tips you should know about phishing scams.

1. The IRS never asks for detailed personal and financial information like PIN numbers, passwords, or similar secret access information for credit card, bank, or other financial accounts.

2. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by e-mail to request personal or financial information. If you receive an e-mail from someone claiming to be a representative of the IRS or directing you to an IRS site:

• • Do not reply to the message.
• • Do not open any attachments. Attachments may contain malicious code that will infect your computer.
• • Do not click on any links. If you clicked on links in a suspicious e-mail or phishing website and entered confidential information, you may have compromised your financial information. If you entered your credit card number, contact the credit card company for guidance. If you entered your banking information, contact the bank for the appropriate steps to take. The IRS website provides additional resources that can help. Visit the IRS website and enter the search term “identity theft” for additional information.

3. The address of the official IRS website is www.irs.gov. Do not be confused or misled by sites claiming to be the IRS but ending in .com, .net, .org or other designations instead of .gov. If you discover a website that claims to be the IRS but you suspect it is bogus, do not provide any personal information on the suspicious site.

4. If you receive a phone call, fax, or letter in the mail from an individual claiming to be from the IRS but you suspect he or she is not an IRS employee, contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to determine if the IRS has a legitimate need to contact you. Report any bogus correspondence. You can forward a suspicious e-mail to phishing@irs.gov.

If you have any questions or doubts related to a letter, phone call, or e-mail from the IRS or other taxing authorities, please call this office before responding or providing any financial or personal information. Better safe than sorry!

This month’s guest post is courtesy of Theresa Payton, the Chief Advisor and CEO of Fortalice, LLC.

Have you ever had your credit card company reverse a charge on your card because it was not you?  Sounds reassuring, right?  Well, if you are a business owner, those same protections do not extend to you.  Cybercriminals know this!  Business owners are a prime target of cybercriminals.  The cybercriminals target your business using hundreds of thousands of computers in their control, often called bots, short for robots.

It is a business owner’s worst nightmare – Imagine logging into your business banking account to make your payroll and the balance is zero.  Unlike your personal card or bank account which are protected under a law known as Regulation E, many people do not realize that banks are not always held liable. (more…)