April 18 marks the end of the 2022 US tax season and those individuals who are yet to file their taxes should get a move on.
But they should not throw caution to the wind, as scammers, fraudsters, phishers and malware peddlers are working hard to exploit the rush to make the deadline.
The latest tax-themed scams and malicious tactics
Scammers and malware peddlers employ some methods repeatedly over the years, because they still work.
“Many of us receive text messages from scammers impersonating a variety of companies including the IRS. While this may seem legit, the IRS does not use text messages for personal tax issues nor do they send taxpayers messages on social media especially in regards to bills or refunds,” Lookout researchers caution.
Phone scams impersonating the IRS and leaving pre-recorded, threatening or urgent messages are also abundant, and so are emails that appear to be from the IRS or affiliated organizations and ask taxpayers to share sensitive information.
“Threat actors often put in the least amount of work possible for a maximum return, sending out phishing emails to thousands of targets. Even if less than one percent of victims respond, the return on investment is still significant due to the gain of personally identifiable information (PII) and/or establishing a foothold within an organization using stolen credentials, malware, or other means,” Fortinet researchers Shunichi Imano and Val Saengphaibul noted, and warned about recent…
