Summary
It’s that time of year again and the possibility of phishing scams takes the usual tax-time anxiety to a whole new level as the Internal Revenue Service warns that fraudulent tax professionals are behind tax-related identity theft and financial harm.
These phishing and related scams are designed to trick the recipient into disclosing personal information such as passwords and bank account, credit card, and Social Security numbers, or into sending gift cards or wire transfers to the scammer.
US consumers and business owners should be extra vigilant, know the different phishing terms, and be aware of what the scams might look like:
Phishing/smishing – Phishing (emails) and smishing (SMS/texts) attempt to trick the recipient into providing sensitive information or downloading malware — i.e., malicious software — by clicking a link. Phishing emails are often sent to multiple email addresses at an organization to increase the chance someone will fall for the trick.
Spear phishing – This email phishing scam is more specific in that it targets potential victims individually and delivers a more effective email known as a “lure.” These types of scams can be harder to identify because they are personalized, which makes the email seem more legitimate.
Whaling – Whaling attacks generally target leaders or other executives with access to large amounts of sensitive information at an organization or business. Whaling attacks can also target human resources or accounting office personnel. |
