Security News > 2024 > March > It's tax season, and scammers are a step ahead of filers, Microsoft says

As the digital wolves dress in sheep's tax forms, Microsoft has thrown a spotlight on a crafty 2024 phishing expedition, unraveled in January, that preys on the unsuspecting herd of early tax filers.

The malicious email campaign, purporting to be employees' tax returns, contained an attachment that, when clicked, directs the user to a phony website that looks like a blurred spreadsheet, with a download documents button marked "Confidentials to users[dot]name[at] contoso[dot]com."

With scammers starting early, and using tools like AI to write more convincing emails and generate deepfake images intended to trick vulnerable tax payers, the crooks have a better chance at stealing high-value data from "Millions of stressed and distracted individuals and businesses," Microsoft says.

"Although everyone can be a target of tax-season phishing, certain groups of people are more vulnerable than others," according to the tax season report.

These phishing emails purport to be from real processors, listed on the IRS website, and frequently promise a hefty tax return - once the user clicks on a malicious link and enters their personal information.

We should note, as the IRS does on its tax scams page, "The IRS doesn't initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information."

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/03/20/its_tax_season_and_scammers/