UNDATED (WSAU) — Taxpayers and tax preparers are still being targeted by people that want to hijack your refund checks. That’s according to IRS Spokeman Christopher Miller, who says authentic-looking fake emails are a real problem this year. “We are seeing a spike in these fake emails that generally, are about your taxes. We’re seeing an approximate 400% surge in both phishing emails and malware incidents that have been reported to the IRS so far this tax season.”
Along with taxpayers, the perpetrators are even trying to fool tax professionals. “They’re getting scam emails asking them to update their online credentials or to update other information, so tax professionals as well as regular taxpayers are getting these scam emails.”
Miller says when a scammer gets into a tax preparer’s system and their IRS credentials, they can do a lot of damage. “The emails are designed to trick taxpayers or tax professionals into thinking that they’re getting official communication from the IRS, or others in the tax industry, including tax software companies. We’re seeing these scam emails in a lot of varieties. There’s not just one approach.”
Miller’s says most people are not getting problems when they read the fake email, but when they click a link, it takes them to a fake IRS or tax preparer website that wants you to update your information. “Generally, this fake, dummy site that you’re taken to will ask you to input or update personal information. That’s when you know it’s a big red flag. You should never update your information online, especially when you haven’t initiated the contact yourself.”
You can report problems by sending an email to phishing@irs.gov
