The IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry (acting as the Security Summit) issued a warning on August 4 for tax preparers to be alert for a new phishing email scam that impersonates tax software providers in an attempt to steal usernames and passwords.
This latest phishing email scam includes a subject line of “Software Support Update” and highlights an “Important Software System Upgrade”. The email informs the preparer that due to a recent software upgrade, the preparer must re-validate their login credentials. It provides a link to a fictitious website that mirrors the software provider’s actual login page. It also mimics the software providers’ email template.
The Security Summit reminds tax preparers that software providers do not embed links into emails asking them to validate passwords. Also, tax preparers should never open a link or an attachment from a suspicious email.
This type of phishing scam is the reason the IRS launched the ten-week “Don’t Take the Bait” education campaign that is currently underway. This awareness effort highlights the many tactics that cybercriminals are using to target preparers in order to help them commit tax identity theft.
For more information on this latest scam and information on how you can protect yourself see the following on the IRS website:
