The IRS is warning tax professionals of an email scam from cybercriminals posing as clients soliciting tax services.
A new variation of this phishing scheme is targeting accounting and tax preparation firms nationwide. The scheme's objective is to collect sensitive information that will allow fraudsters to prepare fraudulent tax returns.
The latest phishing emails typically come in two stages. The first email is the solicitation, which asks tax professionals questions such as "I need a preparer to file my taxes." If the tax professional responds, the cybercriminal sends a second email that includes either an embedded web address or contains a PDF attachment with an embedded web address.
Instead of accessing the potential client’s tax information, tax preparers are giving cybercriminals access to their personal information. Learn more.