Technology & Security
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Top Tax Scams According to the IRS
Every tax season, scammers ramp up their efforts to steal personal and financial information from taxpayers, businesses, and tax professionals. To combat these fraudulent activities, the IRS has released its Dirty Dozen list for 2025, highlighting common tax scams. These scams range from phishing emails to misleading tax credit claims, and tax professionals should stay…
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Tax Fraud and Scams Online and Offshore: The IRS Dirty Dozen, Part 2
As part of the Dirty Dozen tax scams and fraud awareness effort, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) encourages people to report individuals who promote improper and abusive tax schemes, as well as tax return preparers who deliberately prepare improper returns. In this second installment of our overview of the 2024 Dirty Dozen, we look at…
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IRS Warns Tax Preparers of EFIN Documentation Scam
Tax season is in full swing, and with it comes a surge in scams targeting tax professionals. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Security Summit partners have issued a warning about a new email scam that impersonates various software companies, aiming to steal Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFINs). These scams pose a serious threat to…
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IRS Security Requirements for Tax Preparers
Safeguarding sensitive financial information and protecting clients’ personal data has become increasingly relevant in the tax industry. To help mandate secure practices, the IRS has set forth requirements for tax preparers to safely manage and store private information. Tax preparers can avoid unauthorized access and data breaches, which pose significant risks for both preparers and…
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Generative AI in the Tax and Accounting Profession: Friend or Foe?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is regularly a hot topic in the news, and you may have recently heard about Open AI, Generative AI, or specific products like ChatGPT. As a tax and accounting professional, you might be asking, “What does all of this mean, and should I care?” To answer those questions, let’s take a look…
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IRS Warns Tax Pros About Spear-Phishing Scams
Phishing emails are a common threat found in your inbox. While these scams range from too-good-to-be-true business opportunities to aggressive threats from “government agencies,” one specific type—spear-phishing scams—can be more challenging to identify at a glance because they are custom-built for each target. The Internal Revenue Service shared a Security Summit warning about a…
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Tips for Protecting Your EFIN
Tax professionals have been in the crosshairs of cybercriminals for some time now, and it’s only getting worse. Now, the crooks are casting their nets, not only for client data, but to snare vital data of the tax pros themselves. The Internal Revenue Service says this newest group of targets include the tax professional’s Electronic…
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IP PINs Make Tax Returns More Secure
Six little numbers. They could be all the difference between a happy taxpayer and someone who’s fallen victim to identity thieves. The six numbers make up an Identity Protection Personal Identification Number, also known as an IP PIN, and they can help to keep taxpayers’ personal financial information, well, personal. An IP PIN is a…
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Identity Thieves Targeting Unemployment Benefits, Warns IRS
The nation has been weathering nearly one million weekly initial unemployment claims since the beginning of the pandemic. For many qualifying Americans, unemployment insurance benefits are the only thing preventing food insecurity and homelessness while trying to find a new job. Unfortunately, some still have not received their benefits. The Internal Revenue Service warns that…
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All Taxpayers Now Eligible for Identity Protection PINs
The Internal Revenue Service is expanding just who is eligible for an Identity Protection PIN. In fact, the IRS has thrown open the gates and now says any taxpayer who can verify their identity can now get an IP PIN. The IP PIN is a six-digit code that is known only to the taxpayer and…