Security News > 2021 > February > IRS issues urgent notice on scams aimed at tax professionals
With the arrival of tax season, the IRS has sent out a dire notice to tax professionals warning them of a new wave of digital scams involving people trying to steal Electronic Filing Identification Numbers.
Agency officials said they have seen a wave of fake emails with the subject line, "Verifying your EFIN before e-filing," that purport to come from "IRS Tax E-Filing." The IRS said tax professionals have become "Prime targets" for cyberattackers looking for information that would make it easy to steal identities and file falsified tax returns for refunds.
"Phishing scams are the most common tool used by identity thieves to trick tax professionals into disclosing sensitive information, and we often see increased activity during filing season," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig.
The IRS shared a copy of the emails that tax professionals are seeing, noting that they insidiously pretend to be from IRS officials seeking to protect them from "Unauthorized/fraudulent activities."
The email asks that tax preparers send over "a current PDF copy or image of your EFIN acceptance letter or a copy of your IRS EFIN Application Summary," as well as photos of the front and back of a driver's license "In order to complete the verification process."
The tax scams were particularly dangerous because of the kind of information tax professionals naturally have access to.