Alert! Two recent scams

One scheme involves what appears to be an update from a legitimate state CPA professional organization and references a legitimate tax preparer. The email's attachment, purporting to be a "Secured File," invites the recipient to visit a phishing site that asks for the recipient's email address and password.

Another recent scheme targets human resources and financial professionals and requests employee W-2 or other private/sensitive information. (See our new flyer, "Warning for Human Resources and Financial Professionals – New Scam," immediately above, and visit the IRS page for businesses and payroll service providers.)

Remember:

• Never share your email password with anyone.
• Don't open attachments or links from suspicious sources.
• Be cautious about opening links and attachments from sources that appear legitimate.
• If you've received a suspicious email, forward it to phishing@irs.gov with "Secured file scam" or "W-2 Scam" as subject.
• If you believe you've sent private individual data (including W-2 information) to an unauthorized party, contact fraud@tax.idaho.gov and dataloss@irs.gov.

Stay Informed: Idaho and IRS Resources

• Protect Your Clients; Protect Yourself • Includes list of news releases warning of the latest scams.
• "Taxes. Security. Together." Tax Tip Series • Highlights useful security information for both tax professionals and the general public.
• Identity Theft Information for Tax Professionals • Guidance for your clients, both individuals and businesses, who are victims of tax-related identity theft.
• Security Summit • The IRS joins with software and tax financial product industry representatives, tax preparation firms, payroll processors, and state tax administrators to combat tax fraud.

You can also follow:

• IRS: Register for e-News for Tax Professionals or follow the IRS Twitter and Facebook social media for tax professionals.
• Tax Commission: Sign up for the Tax Pros e-newsletter or follow our Twitter account @idahotax.