Cybercriminals Eye Tax Deadline to Cash in
on Refunds
April 5, 2017
IBM
Security released a new report taking a
closer look at the techniques and
motivations of cybercriminals targeting
taxpayers in the United States. Between
December 2016 and February 2017, IBM X-Force
researchers saw a 6,000 percent increase in
tax-related spam emails. The researchers see
this increase and other factors as evidence
that cybercriminals are not slowing down
their attacks in the days leading up to Tax
Day 2017.
IBM’s analysis found that historically
one-third (54 million)[1] of Americans who
file tax returns do so after April 1. This
year’s extended deadline of Tuesday, April
18, 2017 gives cybercriminals even more
runway to execute their tax fraud schemes.
IBM X-Force stresses that it’s especially
crucial for consumers to stay vigilant in
protecting their online identities over the
next month.
The new report, titled “Cybercrime Riding
Tax Season Tides: Trending Spam and Dark Web
Findings” outlines some of the top
techniques used by cybercriminals including:
-
Seasonal Phishing:
Criminals use the topical time of tax season to entice consumers to
open emails and files which have malware embedded in then which
steals consumer’s passwords and other financial information. The
email might look like they are coming from the IRS but they are not
it’s the crooks posing as the IRS.
-
Who’s The Boss?: Crooks
send a business’s accounting staff an email that appears to have
come from an executive asking for employee W-2 information. The
emails look legitimate so unsuspecting employees open them, answer
the questions and send sensitive information to the hackers.
-
Turbo Scammed: Dozens of
tax software companies are competing for consumer’s business this
time of year and send legitimate marketing emails to entice you to
file with them. Cybercriminals have recreated the look and feel of
those emails and are redirecting unsuspecting consumers to
fraudulent websites where they steal log in details and ultimately
enough info to file a return.
IBM X-Force has also mined the Dark Web and
identified criminals selling W-2s for around
$50 per document, thus enabling them to file
false returns (and collecting the associated
refunds) before an individual has had an
opportunity to rightfully file. As a result,
the longer a tax payer waits to file a tax
return, the more they are potentially
susceptible to this scam. In 2016, it was
reported that the IRS paid out approximately
$5.8 billion in fraudulent refunds.[2]
With this in mind, IBM X-Force has created
the following tips to stay safe online this
tax season and beyond.
Security Tips for Tax Season:
-
Don’t delay, file right away: Last
year, 54 million Americans filed
after April, waiting until the last minute to file. File
your taxes as soon as you receive your W-2 from your employer. The
longer you wait, the more opportunity a fraudster has to file on
your behalf.
-
Sign up for a pin from the IRS: The
IRS IP PIN is a six-digit number assigned to eligible taxpayers to
help prevent the misuse of their Social Security number on
fraudulent tax returns.
-
Take advantage of free credit
monitoring: Most breached organizations now offer free
credit monitoring services – consumers should plan to take advantage
for the maximum time allotted.
-
Be vigilant with your inbox: The
IRS will never initiate contact with taxpayers by email, phone, text
or social media to request personal or financial information. This
includes requests for PIN numbers, passwords or similar access
information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.
-
Be aware of spoofing emails:
Scammers often send spoof emails from a target organizations' CEO,
requesting all employee W-2 information from human resources and
accounting departments. Don’t fall for it, pick up the phone and
call them to authenticate the request.
-
Avoid clicking on email links from
tax vendors: If you intend to self-file online, access your
vendor’s website directly to ensure you’re accessing the trusted
site.
-
Avoid password reuse: Especially
when filing your taxes online, make sure to avoid using a password
you’ve used for other websites.
-
Report it: If you suspect
a phishing email, or a fake website purporting to be
a tax authority’s site, report it by sending it to phishing@irs.gov.
“Today’s
online fraudsters are savvy, scrappy,
well-connected, and extremely motivated to
go where the money is,” said Limor Kessem,
Executive Security Advisor, IBM Security.
“It’s inevitable for our researchers to
observe spam campaign surges timed with
topical events such as the Olympics, Cyber
Monday or the Super Bowl. Consumers and
businesses should be hyper vigilant during
these key periods, and implement security
best practices year round to successfully
side step many of the tactics and traps
regularly used by malicious hackers.”
IBM Security’s intelligence is gathered by
hosting one of the world’s largest URL
databases with 25 billion+ web pages and
images, collecting 1,000 financial malware
samples daily, leveraging intelligence from
270M+ endpoints, and processing 1 trillion
security events every month for more than
10,000 clients across 133 countries.
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