Page 2 - Van Wig & Associates Newsletter, Lakewood Village ~ November & December 2019 Issue

protections from scams
YOUR MONEY

IRS IMPOSTORS ARE USING

FAKE EMAILS TO TRICK YOU:

HOW TO SPOT A SCAM

by Susan Tompor accounts, such as financial accounts,”
the IRS said.
id you just get an email “Because these scammers Generally, the IRS will first mail
about your tax refund? a bill to any taxpayer who owes
DOr maybe an email using often use sensitive taxes. And the IRS isn’t asking for
the phrase an “electronic tax return immediate payment via gift cards.
LAKEWOOD reminder?” information about you that tax professionals can be pretty
Unfortunately, scammers know
Ignore it. It’s a hot new scam,
VILLAGE according to the latest warnings from good targets, too, when it comes to

REAL ESTATE EDGE the Internal Revenue Service. that they have stolen from trying to steal sensitive financial data.
Even tax professionals may find it
are
Taxpayers
increasingly
Publisher reporting that they’re receiving other sites, you might be tough to spot an outright lie.
Allison Van Wig unsolicited emails from IRS The IRS is continuing to warn
CA DRE #00985700 impostors. The subject line on tax professionals about the need to be
the email could vary but some are tricked into letting down extra vigilant and review their own
using phrases that include the word data security systems.
“reminder,” such as “Automatic your guard and becoming The IRS noted that more than
Income Tax Reminder.” 90% of all data thefts start with
The traditional income tax season infected with malware.” a phishing email. Employees may
may be months away. But some tax- open a link that takes them to a fake
4435 E Village Rd related deadlines remain on the 2019 site or open an attachment that is
Long Beach, CA 90808 calendar, including Sept. 16 for those embedded with malware that secretly
making third quarter estimated tax The IRS isn’t going to be sending PHONY EMAILS CONTAIN A downloads onto their computers.
562-882-1581 payments, and Oct. 15, which is the you an email about your tax refund ‘ONE-TIME’ PASSWORD Scammers have been successful
Allison@superbroker.com final date for filing if you requested or sensitive financial information. Another red flag: The phony targeting tax professionals by posing
www.SuperBroker.com an extension to file individual tax And you should never respond to emails contain a “temporary as a trusted source and tricking
returns for the 2018 tax year. You’d suspicious or unknown emails. password” or a “one-time password.” someone into opening an embedded
file by Oct. 15 to avoid a potential Taxpayers can notify the Those passwords supposedly link or attachment. Many of these
late filing penalty. IRS about unsolicited emails allow you to access the necessary tax emails contain that sense of urgency
As those deadlines loom on the from impostors by forwarding files. What really happens, though, is that gets someone to act quickly
horizon, it’s likely that we’re going the emails or sending a note to that taxpayers end up unknowingly without thinking.
to see a few more emails being rolled phishing@irs.gov. downloading a malicious file. Some of the fake emails tell tax
out by the spammers and scammers And there may be details that The latest scam uses dozens professionals that they need to update
6425 Busch Blvd., who want to hijack your computer pretend to relate to the taxpayer’s of compromised websites and an account immediately. Or a cyber
Columbus, OH 43229 or steal your cash. refund, electronic return or tax web addresses that pose as crook may pose as a prospective
877.872.3080 situation. www.irs.gov, which the IRS says client.
www.DiscoverPubs.com
TAX SCAMS RUN “Because these scammers often use makes it challenging to shut down. As Rettig has said: “You’re
Sudoku, Scrabble, Crossword ALL YEAR LONG sensitive information about you that “By infecting computers with only as safe as your least educated
and articles distributed by
Tribune News Services and Once again, IRS Commissioner they have stolen from other sites, you malware, these impostors may gain employee.” n
Brandpoint where noted. Chuck Rettig warned in a statement: might be tricked into letting down control of the taxpayer’s computer
© Copyright 2019 by “The latest scheme is yet another your guard and becoming infected or secretly download software that ©2019 Detroit Free Press.
Discover Publications, Inc. reminder that tax scams are a year- with malware,” said Luis D. Garcia, tracks every keystroke, eventually Distributed by Tribune Content
All rights reserved.
round business for thieves.” an IRS spokesman in Detroit. giving them passwords to sensitive Agency, LLC
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