At this time of year, the number of tax scams reaches a peak, with fraudsters looking for any chance to cash in on consumers, the self-employed, and small businesses that might get excited enough about potential refunds to throw caution and good sense out the window.<\/p>\n
Many people now do their taxes online, and cybercriminals see that as a huge opportunity to make money with phishing schemes. The IRS saw a 400% surge in phishing and malware incidents<\/a> during the 2016 tax season, and that trend is likely to continue this year.<\/p>\n Take the recent W-2 e-mail scam, which sent victims requests for information about an employee W-2 form from a company\u2019s payroll or human resources departments. At this time of year, a harried staffer might not think twice.<\/p>\n With cybercriminals always looking for monetary gain, it\u2019s important for consumers and businesses alike to be aware of what to look out for. This includes:<\/p>\n We recommend the following top tips to stay safe when managing your tax affairs this year:<\/p>\n 1. Give yourself plenty of time to file your tax return to lessen the risk that you will respond in haste to a scam;<\/p>\n 2. Don\u2019t trust advice about how to get a refund unless it comes from a tax professional or source that you trust \u2014 if in doubt, always double-check;<\/p>\n 3. Don\u2019t assume a bank or government agency has access to your tax details. They will not have granular information about your tax return. Even if a communication looks legitimate, check over the details first and if in doubt, contact the apparent source of the information using publicly available contact information (not details from the communication you\u2019re trying to verify);<\/p>\n 4. If using a mobile app to file your tax return, do so over a secure connection and make sure you have mobile Internet security \u2014 and that it\u2019s up to date. Also make sure you review permissions requested by any app before accepting them;<\/p>\n 5. Do not click on attachments or links in messages that look suspicious or that you received from unknown people;<\/p>\n #Quiz<\/a> time\u2026 Real deal or #phishing<\/a>? Can you identify the malicious links? https:\/\/t.co\/4pfwosaHo6<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/8HMZrwVWQ5<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Kaspersky (@kaspersky) November 21, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
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