Tax Season Scams

Tax season is here and it’s one of cybercriminals favorite times of year! Tax season can be a big win for cybercriminals to get your personal information. Sensitive information and documents are constantly being sent during this time. Cybercriminals use taxes as their subjects for phishing campaigns and disinformation campaigns.

If anyone falls for one of these phishing scams or clicks on an article with disinformation and shares credentials or personal information that will go in the hands of cybercriminals. Cybercriminals then can steal your identity, gain access to your money and even impersonate you.

Tips:

• Always use caution when it comes to any tax documents or important personal documents. Make sure to keep those documents if they are in physical copy in a secure place and always shred paper that is no longer needed. If you have a digital copy of the document, make sure you have the document protected with a password.
• If you see an email, text message or social media post with a shocking headline and information about taxes be cautious. Many times, these messages are false information that cybercriminals use to mislead you into performing an action.
• Always think before you click. Hover over links to see where they are going and make sure you are paying attention instead of clicking impulsively.

Learn more tips like this and train your employees with our Security Awareness Training Program.