Security News > 2020 > May > Hackers Dumpster Dive for Taxpayer Data in COVID-19 Relief Money Scams

Threat actors are using a combination of scams to obtain as well as buy and sell credentials for U.S. taxpayers to steal appropriations from the COVID-19 relief package as well as 2020 tax refunds, new research has found.

The package includes $1,200 in individual taxpayer payments to those who qualified, representing a new opportunity for fraud alongside the usual tax-season campaigns that threat actors typically employ.

"The threat actor can use the submitted information to impersonate the victim on IRS tax forms and obtain the victim's tax return and stimulus check," according to the post.

Researchers also observed a flurry of activity on hacker forums that deal in various versions of taxpayer fraud related to CARES act relief payouts and tax refunds.

One such scam shows threat actors flogging hundreds of thousands of what are called "Fullz," which in underground forums means a full set of personal data, as well as other critical data of deceased U.S. citizens that can be used to file phony tax returns and steal payouts, researchers said.

News URL

https://threatpost.com/hackers-dumpster-dive-covid-19-relief-scams/155537/