WASHINGTON (WSPA) – The Internal Revenue Service is warning people, especially tax professionals, of a new phishing scam trying to steal login credentials for tax preparation software.
According to the IRS, the scammers are sending emails saying that there is a “Software Support Update” and talks about an “Important Software System Upgrade” requiring them to revalidate their login credentials. A link in the email sends users to a fake website that looks like the software provider’s actual website.
“This is a another very sophisticated scam that shows how valuable cyber crooks view taxpayer information,” says IRS Spokesman Luis D. Garcia. “We want to insure tax professionals are on their toes and alert to this latest scam. Double checking who really sent an email and using strong security measures will help protect their clients and protect their business.”
Tax professionals and others who receive these emails are asked to send a copy of the email to the IRS.
For Windows users, follow this process to help the investigation of these scam emails:
- Use “Save As” to save the scam. Under “save as type” in the drop-down menu, select “plain text” and save to the desktop. Do not click on any links.
- Open a new email and attach this saved email as a file.
- Send a new email containing the attachment to the tax software provider, as well as a copy to Phishing@IRS.gov.