Many people are familiar with U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) scam letters fishing for money around tax season. Now, a new form of IRS scam targets tax professionals in a virtual version of the fake IRS letter.
The IRS warned tax professionals to be on the lookout for a scam that attempts to steal a victim’s E-Filing Identification Number (EFIN). Attackers use a fake email to target tax preparers’ identities and their clients’ data. Then, if they do get the information, attackers can impersonate the tax preparer and file fraudulent tax returns to get refunds.
Read on to learn how this IRS scam works and how to stay safe this tax season:
New IRS Scam Targets EFINS
According to the IRS, the ruse began with a scam email. This email claimed to come from ‘IRS Tax E-Filing.’ The subject line reads ‘Verifying your EFIN before e-filing.’
The email informs the tax preparer that they need to send over some documents to verify authorized E-File personnel. It then asks for a copy of both their EFIN and driver’s license number. To add some urgency to the threat, the email says the IRS will disable the tax preparer’s E-Filing access if they don’t comply.
The IRS urged tax preparers to not follow any of the steps outlined in the email. The best thing to do is to delete the email and not respond in any way.
Other Tax Scams
The IRS and other outlets have highlighted several other notable tax scams this season. In the beginni ..
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