SCAM ALERT: State Warns Of Tax Season Email Phishing Scam

BOSTON, MA — Over the last few weeks, the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation has received several data security breach notifications from companies that have been victimized by an email phishing scheme in which a third party illegally obtained employees’ IRS Form W-2 information.

In these reported incidents, the cyber thieves are setting-up email accounts that look as if they are coming from a senior executive from within the targeted company. The thieves are typically targeting the human resources or payroll departments of these companies with requests for employee W-2 information.

Following are some excerpts the IRS has identified from email requests:

• “Kindly send me the individual 2015 W-2 (PDF) and earnings summary of all W-2 of our company staff for a quick review.”
• “Can you send me the updated list of employees with full details (name, Social Security number, date of birth, home address and salary)?”
• “I want you to send me the list of W-2 copy of employees wage and tax statement for 2015. I need them in PDF file type. You can send it as an attachment. Kindly prepare the lists and e-mail them to me ASAP.”

The IRS believes that once the thieves obtain employees’ personal information, including social security numbers, they will make efforts to file phony income tax returns to receive refunds. The Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation suggests that employees verify the authenticity of any email request pertaining to IRS Form W-2. Report any unverified emails immediately to your IT professionals and notify the IRS.

The federal agency also reports an approximate 400 percent increase in phishing and malware incidents during the current 2016 tax preparation/filing season. For more information on tax-related phishing schemes, please see this recent consumer alert from the IRS.

(NOTE: The above press release is from the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation.)

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