Cybersecurity

  • IRS Explains the Coronavirus Stimulus Scam

    Last Saturday, Taxing Subjects spotlighted a phishing scam that emerged after legislators passed the CARES Act, which distributes economic impact payments to help recover from financial hardships caused by COVID-19. Today, the IRS outlined common tactics used by these scammers, as well as briefly explaining the economic impact payment process. What is the ‘coronavirus stimulus…

  • IRS Touts Progress Against Identity Theft

    With just days left in the TY 2018 filing season, the IRS and its Security Summit partners have announced major progress has been made in the fight against tax-related identity theft. What’s more, they say, their combined efforts have added protection for thousands of taxpayers and billions of dollars in refunds. The Security Summit, a…

  • Audit Finds Business Identity Theft Controls Still Lacking

    A report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) finds that despite measures by the Internal Revenue Service to flag possibly fraudulent business returns, a significant number of bogus returns are slipping through. The agency’s first warning came three years ago, when TIGTA recommended the IRS install filters on its computer systems to…

  • Don’t Get Hooked by a Phishing Expedition

    Sometimes, the easiest way a crook can steal your personal information is to simply ask you for it.

  • Don’t Get Hooked by Phishing

    No doubt about it, the idea that there are hordes of scammers out there trying to purloin the personal information belonging to you – and your clients – is the new normal. And while reports of the newest tax scam are a pretty regular occurrence these days, it doesn’t have to be that way.

  • Protect Yourself from Wi-Fi Hacking

    The introduction of Wireless Equivalent Privacy (WEP), in 1999, was supposed to be a solution to the growing issue of Wi-Fi security.  At the time, Wi-Fi was seen as an alternative to the relatively high cost of wired connections, and free Wi-Fi hotspots were springing up nationwide to serve academic and business environments.

  • What are the signs of identity theft tax refund fraud?

    The IRS’ “Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft” details seven signs that your information may have been stolen: You get a letter from the IRS inquiring about a suspicious tax return that you did not file. You can’t e-file your tax return because of a duplicate Social Security number. You get a tax transcript in the mail…

  • What is employee unauthorized access?

    Employee unauthorized access occurs when an employee illicitly gains access to proprietary information or company-held personally identifiable information and financial data. This type of security breech is typically tied to identity theft schemes, and it can be carried out in a number of ways: Accessing company databases without prior authorization Looking at private information on…

  • What is a virtual private network?

    A virtual private network, or VPN, is a third-party service that creates an encrypted connection that can be used to securely access the Internet. Since they provide an extra layer of security, the Security Summit has recommended VPNs as an additional tool for tax professionals who work remotely or routinely send and receive PII and…

  • What is Identity Theft Tax Refund Fraud?

    Identity theft tax refund fraud occurs when identity thieves use stolen personal identifying information (PII) to file fraudulent tax returns to receive a tax refund check from the Department of Treasury. Identity thieves commonly steal PII through phishing scams, Dark Web auctions, hacking databases, installing malware, and employee unauthorized access. Return to Taxing Subjects Frequently…