w-2 phishing – Computer Security Articles

Student Aid Tool Held Key for Tax Fraudsters

March 21, 2017 admin FAFSA, Free Application for Federal Financial Aid, Get Transcript, irs, IRS Data Retrieval Tool, Other, The Wall Street Journal, U.S. Department of Education, w-2 phishing

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2017 19:07:14 +0000

Citing concerns over criminal activity and fraud, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has disabled an automated tool on its Web site that was used to help students and their families apply for federal financial aid. The removal of the tool has created unexpected hurdles for many families hoping to qualify for financial aid, but the action also eliminated a key source of data that fraudsters could use to conduct tax refund fraud. Last week, the IRS and the Department of Education said in a joint statement that they were temporarily shutting down the IRS’s Data Retrieval Tool. The service was designed to make it easier to complete the Education Department’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) — a lengthy form that serves as the starting point for students seeking federal financial assistance to pay for college or career school.

Independent Krebs

Govt. Cybersecurity Contractor Hit in W-2 Phishing Scam

March 17, 2017 admin Accenture, data loss prevention, Defense Point Security, DLP, George McKenzie, IP PIN, Other, security freeze, tax refund fraud, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, w-2 phishing

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2017 22:02:02 +0000

Just a friendly reminder that phishing scams which spoof the boss and request W-2 tax data on employees are intensifying as tax time nears. The latest victim shows that even cybersecurity experts can fall prey to these increasingly sophisticated attacks. On Thursday, March 16, the CEO of Defense Point Security, LLP — a Virginia company that bills itself as “the choice provider of cyber security services to the federal government” — told all employees that their W-2 tax data was handed directly to fraudsters after someone inside the company got caught in a phisher’s net.

Independent Krebs

IRS: Scam Blends CEO Fraud, W-2 Phishing

February 2, 2017 admin ceo fraud, FBI, FTC, irs, John Koskinen, Other, tax refund fraud, tax return fraud, W-2 fraud, w-2 phishing

Most regular readers here are familiar with CEO fraud — e-mail scams in which the attacker spoofs the boss and tricks an employee at the organization into wiring funds to the fraudster. Loyal readers also have heard an earful about W-2 phishing, in which crooks impersonate the boss and request a copy of all employee tax forms. According to a new “urgent alert” issued by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, scammers are now combining both schemes and targeting a far broader range of organizations than ever before.