Tax professionals increasingly are targets of national and international cybercriminal syndicates that are well funded, digitally adept, and tax savvy. Each week the IRS receives three to five reports of data breaches at tax professionals’ offices. That rate is not sustainable.
To assist tax practitioners to better protect themselves, the IRS, state tax agencies, and the tax industry, partnering as the Security Summit, have launched a 10-week “Don’t take the Bait” campaign detailing specific scam tactics and how to counter them. These news items are being issued each Tuesday.
Here are the first three news releases plus an associated fact sheet:
IRS Newswire
Don’t Take the Bait, Step 1: Avoid Spear Phishing Emails (IR-17-119)
Don’t Take the Bait, Step 2: Be Alert to Account Takeover Tactics (IR-17-120)
IRS Fact Sheet
Information on Identity Theft for Business, Partnerships and Estate and Trusts (FS-17-10) *
*If you prepare 1120, 1120S, 1041s or K1s, please read.