Jan. 16, 2020 - Tax season is in full swing, which means criminals will try to steal your money, your identity or anything of value that is within their reach.
Beware of seemingly legitimate "tax services" that are actually designed to steal your identity and your tax refund. Such scams might include fake websites and tax forms that look like they belong to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in order to trick you into providing your personal information.
Warning Signs of an Online Tax Scam:
- An email or link requesting personal and/or financial information, such as your name, social security number, bank or credit card account numbers, or any additional security-related information
- Emails containing various forms of threats or consequences if no response is received, such as additional taxes or blocking access to your funds
- Emails from the IRS or federal agencies. The IRS will not contact you via email
- Emails discussing "changes to tax laws." These email scams typically include a downloadable document (usually a PDF) that purports to explain the new tax laws. However, these downloads are almost always malware.
For more information contact CSUCI's Information Security Team at infosec@csuci.edu or visit https://www.csuci.edu/its/security/.
Source: https://www.cisecurity.org/newsletter/new-year-new-yousame-w-2-tax-scam/